Defendant Pleads Guilty for Fatal Shooting in City's Elmwood Village

Erie County District Attorney Michael J. Keane announces that Denzel T. Maye, 29, of Buffalo, pleaded guilty this morning before Erie County Court Judge Susan Eagan to one count of Manslaughter in the First Degree (Class B violent felony). Maye entered a guilty plea to the lesser included offense in the top count of the indictment.

On Thursday, October 24, 2024, at approximately 2:00 p.m., the defendant shot the victim with an illegal gun on Potomac Avenue near Elmwood Avenue in the City of Buffalo. The victim, 52-year-old Howard Shelton, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Maye was convicted of the second count of the indictment, Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree (Class C violent felony) following a four-day trial in November 2025. Jurors were unable to come to a unanimous decision on the first count. A second trial was scheduled to commence in late July 2026.

Maye faces a maximum of 25 years in prison when he is sentenced on Monday, April 27, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. He remains held without bail.

DA Keane commends Detective Sergeant Keith Fitzner and Detective Mark White of the Buffalo Police Department for their work in this investigation.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Frank A. Strano of the Homicide Bureau and Assistant District Attorney Megan E. Connelly of the Felony Trials Bureau.