In the early hours of a Tuesday morning in March 2011, the life of Alonzo Scott, a man in his early 30s, was tragically cut short on the streets of Buffalo, New York. On March 15, 2011, in the vicinity of Main Street and Glenwood Avenue, multiple gunshots rang out, all directed at Scott. He was rushed to the Erie County Medical Center, but his injuries proved to be fatal, and he was pronounced dead.
The incident prompted a swift response from both the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority and Buffalo police departments, who immediately began an investigation into the city's latest homicide.
The investigation quickly led to a suspect, 28-year-old Dwyne Gray. It is believed that after the shooting, Gray fled the scene on foot, making his way to the nearby Utica Street subway station. Authorities pursued him from the Main-Delavan subway station, a chase that involved officers from NFTA, Buffalo police, and Canisius College Public Safety. The pursuit covered several blocks before Gray was finally apprehended on Purdy Street. He was taken to Buffalo police headquarters and subsequently charged with murder. During their investigation, police also recovered a handgun that they believe was the weapon used in the killing. The motive for the shooting appears to be tied to gang-related activities, as Alonzo Scott was the brother of Dewayne Gray, a leader of the LRGP gang. His death reportedly led to a retaliatory murder a month later, with members of the LRGP gang targeting a member of a rival gang in response.
Four years later, another young man from Buffalo named Alonzo Scott also met a violent end. This Alonzo Scott, a native of Buffalo and a member of the Cornerstone Baptist Church, was 18 years old at the time of his death. On Saturday, June 6, 2015, a shooting occurred on Warren Street that resulted in five people being shot. One of the victims was Alonzo Scott, who succumbed to his injuries and passed away. Another man was paralyzed in the same incident.
The investigation into this shooting led to the arrest of 19-year-old Diamond Lewis. Authorities accused Lewis of a string of violent crimes that took place between October 2014 and January 2016, during which he allegedly shot eight people in four different locations in Buffalo. Two of his victims, including Alonzo Scott, died from their injuries. The other homicide he was charged with was the shooting of 22-year-old David Skipper, Jr. on October 14, 2014. Lewis faced charges of murder, as well as several counts of assault and attempted murder for the other shootings. His defense attorney maintained his innocence. If convicted, he faced the possibility of a lengthy prison sentence, with up to 25 years to life for each murder count and an additional 200 years for the other charges. Law enforcement also believed that Lewis was connected to other crimes in the city.
