(WNY News Now) – BUFFALO, N.Y. — A Buffalo man has been sentenced to 25 years to life in state prison for the fatal shooting of a 28-year-old man in the city’s Cold Springs neighborhood, Erie County District Attorney Michael J. Keane announced.
Alfonzo D. Quinney, 49, of Buffalo, was sentenced Thursday afternoon before Erie County Court Judge Sheila A. DiTullio following his conviction for murder and weapons charges stemming from a September 2024 shooting.
According to prosecutors, the incident occurred on Friday, September 6, 2024, at approximately 11:30 p.m. on the 100 block of Northland Avenue. Authorities said Quinney intentionally shot Elijah Mingo, 28, with an illegal firearm while Mingo was attending a gathering with co-workers. Mingo was pronounced dead at the scene.
In October 2025, a jury found Quinney guilty of one count of Murder in the Second Degree, a Class A-I felony, and one count of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, a Class C violent felony. Jurors deliberated for approximately four hours following a four-day trial before convicting Quinney on all counts contained in the indictment.
Judge DiTullio imposed the maximum allowable sentence under the law, ordering Quinney to serve an indeterminate term of 25 years to life in prison.
“Elijah Mingo was a truly innocent victim of a senseless crime,” District Attorney Keane said in a statement. “He was attending a party with his co-workers when the defendant approached the group and ended his young life. There was overwhelming evidence in this case, which resulted in a jury finding him guilty of all charges.”
Keane added that he hopes the sentence brings some measure of justice to Mingo’s family as they continue to grieve their loss.
The district attorney commended Buffalo Police Department Detectives Rita Ruffin and Rachael Isch for their investigative work, as well as victim advocates Kimberly Rapp and Nicole Haffa for their support of the victim’s family throughout the case.
The prosecution was handled by Assistant District Attorney John P. Gerken Jr. of the Erie County District Attorney’s Office Homicide Bureau and Assistant District Attorney James W. Mansour II of the Narcotics/Intelligence Bureau.
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