BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The Erie County District Attorney's Office announced that 33-year-old Dale O. Cummings was sentenced in Erie County Court to the maximum of life imprisonment without parole.
The DA said that on April 27, 2024, Buffalo police responded to a shooting on the 100 block of Zenner Street. 59-year-old Babul Meah and 39-year-old Abu Yousuf were killed in the shooting.
WATCH: Police: Squatter opened fire, killing two men on Zenner Street in Buffalo; suspect arrested
According to the DA, Cummings was unlawfully occupying the upper apartment of the vacant home and intentionally shot Meah and Yousuf multiple times with an illegal rifle. They were working as handymen and were killed as they entered the property to perform repairs.
We spoke with the families of the victims after the incident, and they were calling for justice.
WATCH: 'I just want justice': Families of men killed in Zenner Street shooting speak out
The DA said that the next day, police located Cummings, who matched the description of the suspect provided by eyewitnesses. During their investigation, police found a loaded rifle with a high-capacity magazine inside a backpack carried by Cummings and forensic analysis determined it was a projectile match to the gun used to kill both victims and was a major DNA profile match to Cummings.
In June 2025, a jury found Cummings guilty of one count of first-degree murder, one count of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and one count of third-degree criminal possession of a weapon.
“I am pleased to announce that a jury found the defendant guilty of these horrific and senseless murders. These two men were working as handymen when they encountered an armed squatter inside a vacant home. Tragically, their lives ended when this defendant intentionally shot both victims with an illegal semi-automatic rifle near the entrance and continued to fire shots as they retreated outside. The victims are survived by their wives and several children, and I hope their families feel justice has been served by this defendant being convicted and receiving the maximum state prison sentence."
