(WNY News Now) – A Buffalo teenager has been convicted of murder and weapon charges for a deadly shooting in the city’s LaSalle neighborhood last summer.
Buffalo, N.Y. – Erie County District Attorney Michael J. Keane announced that 19-year-old Jakai Lofton was found guilty of second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon following a five-day jury trial. The verdict was delivered Friday afternoon after approximately 90 minutes of deliberation.
The charges stem from a shooting that occurred on the evening of August 12, 2023, on the 200 block of Shirley Avenue in Buffalo. Prosecutors say Lofton, acting alongside another teenager, used an illegal firearm to shoot 21-year-old Quban Romell Najee Embry multiple times on a residential porch. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.
Lofton faces a maximum sentence of 40 years to life in prison. He is currently held without bail and is scheduled to be sentenced on Monday, May 19, 2025, at 9:30 a.m.
Lofton’s co-defendant, Anthony Borden, also 19, previously pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter for his role in the incident. His sentencing date has not yet been scheduled. Borden remains in custody without bail.
DA Keane credited Detective Chris Sterlace of the Buffalo Police Department and the Erie County Central Police Services Forensic Laboratory for their efforts in the investigation.
The case was prosecuted by Chief Eugene T. Partridge III of the Homicide Bureau and Assistant Chief Samantha N. King of the Buffalo City Court Bureau.
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