(WNY News Now) – A Buffalo man faces two decades in prison after being sentenced for a fatal shooting in Buffalo’s University District on New Year’s Day.
Buffalo, N.Y. – Erie County Court Judge Suzanne Maxwell Barnes sentenced 22-year-old Terrance Johnson of Buffalo to 20 years to life in prison. Johnson’s sentencing follows his conviction for the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Rashaad Brown in Buffalo’s University District on January 1, 2024.
At approximately 3:23 a.m. on New Year’s Day, Johnson fired multiple shots at two individuals near the intersection of Main and Merrimac streets. Brown, one of the victims, was taken to the Erie County Medical Center (ECMC) for emergency treatment, where he later succumbed to his injuries. The second individual at the scene was not physically harmed in the incident.
In September 2024, Johnson entered a guilty plea to all charges presented against him in the indictment, which included one count of Murder in the Second Degree, one count of Attempted Murder in the Second Degree, and one count of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree. The Erie County District Attorney’s Office confirmed that Johnson received no reduced plea offers in this case.
Acting Erie County District Attorney Michael J. Keane commended the work of Buffalo Police Department Detectives Christopher Sterlace and Joseph Ruggerio, whose investigation contributed to the conviction. The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Justin H. Caldwell of the Homicide Bureau and Megan A. Connelly of the Felony Trials Bureau.