(WNY News Now) – A 23-year-old Getzville man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for his role in a fatal shooting that killed a 19-year-old in Buffalo’s Genesee-Moselle neighborhood in July 2024.

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Jahi Pope, 23, of Getzville, was sentenced Monday to 20 years in state prison followed by five years of post-release supervision for his role in the fatal shooting of Naszair E. Sanders, according to the Erie County District Attorney’s Office.

State Supreme Court Justice Betty Calvo-Torres imposed the sentence on Oct. 19, 2026.

Buffalo police responded to a shooting at approximately 5:42 p.m. July 29, 2024, on the 1400 block of Broadway near Liddell Street. Sanders, 19, was pronounced dead at the scene.

According to prosecutors, Pope admitted to participating in the fatal shooting.

In July 2026, Pope pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree manslaughter, a Class B violent felony. The plea resolved the indictment.

Erie County District Attorney Michael J. Keane credited investigators from the Buffalo Police Department, the Amherst Police Department and the Erie County Crime Analysis Center for their work on the case.

Assistant District Attorneys Justin H. Caldwell of the Homicide Bureau and Abbi L. Fuhrken of the Domestic Violence Bureau prosecuted the case.