In the city of Buffalo, New York, a young life was tragically cut short on the evening of Friday, March 4, 2022. That night, 16-year-old Kywon Cottman, a male, was at a residence on Fisher Street when a single gunshot ended his life. The fatal shot, fired from an illegal handgun, struck him on the left side of the head. His mother would later remember him as a goofy kid around his friends, but calm, cool, and laid back with her.
She lamented that at 16, he hadn't even had the chance to fully grow up yet.
The person responsible for the fatal shooting was 21-year-old Khalid Alexander, in whose home the incident occurred. The event was not described as a malicious act, but rather as a reckless one that transpired while Alexander was playing with the firearm. In the immediate aftermath, Alexander was arrested and faced serious charges for his actions. The Erie County District Attorney's Office charged him with manslaughter in the second degree and criminal possession of a firearm.
In the months that followed, the legal process moved forward. On September 13, 2022, Khalid Alexander pleaded guilty to both charges before an Erie County Court Judge. By pleading guilty, he accepted responsibility for the reckless act that led to the untimely death of Kywon Cottman. On November 10, 2022, Alexander was sentenced to an indeterminate prison term of one to three years. The sentencing marked the legal conclusion to a tragic event that underscored the dangers of reckless behavior with firearms and left a family to mourn the loss of a young man with a future that would never be realized.
