(WNY News Now) – In a plea agreement, Twandrell L. Dean admitted to his role in a deadly shooting that left one dead and two others injured outside a Buffalo tavern.
BUFFALO, NY – Twandrell L. Dean, 25, of Buffalo, pleaded guilty today in Erie County Court to Manslaughter in the First Degree and Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree. Dean’s plea resolves the charges stemming from the July 22, 2023, fatal shooting in Buffalo’s Willert Park neighborhood, as announced by Acting Erie County District Attorney Michael J. Keane.
The incident occurred in the early hours near Genesee and Mortimer Streets, where Buffalo Police responded to reports of gunfire outside a local tavern. Officers discovered three shooting victims: a 33-year-old male and a 44-year-old male who were transported to ECMC with non-life-threatening injuries, and 31-year-old Devin Lockwood, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to the DA’s office, Dean admitted to intentionally firing an illegal firearm, leading to the fatal injuries of Lockwood. Judge Suzanne Maxwell Barnes accepted Dean’s guilty plea on both charges. Dean, who has remained in custody without bail, now faces a potential maximum sentence of 25 years in prison at his sentencing on January 29, 2025.
A co-defendant, Ernest W. Brown, 41, of Buffalo, faces separate charges, including Murder in the Second Degree and Criminal Possession of a Weapon. Brown’s case is ongoing, with a pre-trial hearing scheduled for November 14, 2024, and jury selection for his trial set to begin in early March 2025.
Acting DA Keane praised the Buffalo Police Department’s investigation efforts, noting their work in swiftly apprehending those involved. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney John P. Gerken, Jr. of the Homicide Bureau, alongside Assistant District Attorney Samantha N. King of the Narcotics/Intelligence Bureau.
As in all criminal cases, the co-defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.