In the early hours of a cold Saturday morning in Buffalo, New York, violence shattered the quiet of a neighborhood. On November 30, 2013, 18-year-old Sylvester Buttrom, a male identified as African-American/Black, was on Lonsdale Road when shots rang out. The incident occurred at approximately 2:15 a.m. near the intersection of East Ferry and Jefferson Avenue. Buttrom was seriously injured in the shooting, along with another man whose identity was not publicly released.
Both victims were rushed to Erie County Medical Center for urgent medical care. The other man was listed in critical condition. Tragically, Sylvester Buttrom succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead on Sunday, December 1, 2013. His death was part of a violent weekend in the city that saw another fatal shooting on Oakmont Avenue shortly after the incident on Lonsdale Road.
Buffalo Police launched an investigation into the shooting that claimed the young man's life. At the time, they urged anyone with information regarding the incident to contact their confidential TIPCALL line. In the years that have followed, law enforcement has continued to seek information from the community to help solve the case.
Despite the ongoing investigation, there has been no publicly available information regarding any arrests made or suspects identified in the murder of Sylvester Buttrom. The case remains one of the city's unsolved homicides, a painful reminder of a life cut short by gun violence. The circumstances surrounding the shooting and the motive behind it have yet to be officially determined, leaving a lingering sense of unanswered questions for his family and the community.
