In the early hours of a Saturday morning, on July 22, 2023, violence erupted outside a tavern on Genesee Street near Mortimer Street in Buffalo's Willert Park neighborhood. The incident, which occurred at approximately 3:00 a.m., resulted in a triple shooting that left one man dead and two others wounded. The deceased was identified as 31-year-old Devin Lockwood, a male victim who was pronounced dead at the scene.
The two other victims, a 33-year-old male and a 44-year-old male, sustained non-life-threatening injuries and were transported by ambulance to Erie County Medical Center for treatment.
The investigation into the shooting led Buffalo Police to identify two suspects: Ernest W. Brown, 41, and Twandrell L. Dean, 26, both of Buffalo. It is alleged that the two men, acting together, fired an illegal weapon with the intent to cause Lockwood's death. Following the incident, an indictment warrant was issued for Brown. He was apprehended in the Jamestown area and arraigned on June 17, 2024, on charges of Murder in the Second Degree and Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree. Dean had been previously arrested on an indictment warrant and was arraigned on the same charges on September 8, 2023.
Both men faced legal proceedings for their alleged roles in the homicide. On November 12, 2024, Twandrell L. Dean pleaded guilty to one count of Manslaughter in the First Degree and one count of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree. In his plea, Dean admitted to intentionally firing shots from an illegal weapon, which resulted in the death of Devin Lockwood. He faces a maximum of 25 years in prison and is scheduled to be sentenced on January 29, 2025.
Ernest W. Brown's case went to trial. In July 2025, a jury found him guilty of one count of Murder in the Second Degree and one count of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree. The jury reached its verdict after about two hours of deliberation following a five-day trial. On September 29, 2025, Ernest W. Brown was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. His co-defendant, Twandrell L. Dean, was sentenced to a determinate sentence of 20 years in prison followed by 5 years of post-release supervision.
