BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The Erie County District Attorney's Office announced that 39-year-old Edward Harwell of Buffalo was sentenced in Erie County Court to 22 years in prison, followed by five years of post-release supervision.
The DA said that on August 3, 2024, Harwell shot a 21-year-old man with an illegal gun on the 200 block of Bird Avenue in Buffalo. He was taken to ECMC with multiple gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the hospital.
According to the DA, a few minutes after the initial call, a Buffalo Police officer observed a vehicle that matched the description of the suspect vehicle that fled the area after the shooting, traveling east on Route 198 near Delaware Park. The officer followed the vehicle and while on top of the Skyway, the officer saw multiple objects that appeared to be handguns thrown from the window.
Officers stopped the vehicle near the Fuhrmann Boulevard exit, and Harwell, who was driving, and two passengers were taken into custody. Two loaded firearms were recovered from the vehicle’s flight path and submitted into evidence. Harwell was linked to the weapons through DNA analysis.
Harwell pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter and two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon in April 2025.
Two passengers were also indicted for being in possession of the recovered illegal weapons.