In the Broadway-Fillmore neighborhood of Buffalo, a promising life was tragically cut short on the evening of March 29, 2021. Trenten Jacob Sink, a 20-year-old male, was lured to C Street under the pretense of a meeting, only to be met with violence that would end his life. A graduate of Barker High School, he was known for his passion for football, having played in high school and later for the semi-pro team, the Lockport Wildcats.
His ambition even led him to organize the NY Lightning touch football league, a venture aimed at keeping young adults engaged in positive activities.
The events of that fatal night unfolded as a planned robbery. Two individuals, Calvin D. Clemons and a 16-year-old accomplice, had conspired to rob Sink. At approximately 8:13 p.m., in the course of the robbery, Clemons shot Sink multiple times. After the shooting, the younger assailant stole Sink's backpack, and both fled the scene. Emergency services responded and transported Sink to Erie County Medical Center, but he succumbed to gunshot wounds to his back, side, chest, and buttock.
The Buffalo Police Department's Homicide Squad diligently investigated the case, leading to the apprehension of both individuals involved. The legal process brought a measure of justice for Trenten Sink and his grieving family. Calvin D. Clemons, then 20, pleaded guilty to Murder in the First Degree and in December 2022 was sentenced to 35 years to life in prison. His younger co-defendant, who was 18 at the time of sentencing, was found guilty by a jury of Murder in the Second Degree and Robbery in the First Degree after a four-day trial. In May 2023, he was sentenced to 18 years to life in prison.
