James Henley Jr. was a 27-year-old Black man from Buffalo, New York, who had once been a standout athlete at South Park High School. His skill on the field was notable enough to be featured in local news coverage during his school years.
In the early hours of Sunday, August 19, 2012, Henley was in a parking lot near the intersection of South Elmwood and Johnson Parkway. The area was close to the city’s Entertainment District. While there, he was fatally shot.
Buffalo Homicide Detectives immediately began investigating the killing. A few days later, Mayor Byron Brown commented on the case, stating that he believed the shooting was unlikely to have been a random act of violence. He noted that in the vast majority of similar crimes, the individuals involved were known to each other.
The shooting alarmed residents near the scene, who called for an increased police presence and the installation of a city surveillance camera.
Despite the investigation, no suspect has ever been publicly identified in connection with the shooting. As of August 2012, detectives were still searching for the person responsible for James Henley's death, and the case remains unsolved.
