Buffalo man sentenced for fatally shooting victim on Kensington Avenue

Submitted by the Erie County District Attorney’s Office

Acting Erie County District Attorney Michael J. Keane announced 30-year-old Jerry L. Simpson of Buffalo was sentenced this morning before State Supreme Court Justice Debra Givens to 23 years in prison followed by five years of post-release supervision.

On Thursday, Jan. 5, 2023, at approximately 10:39 a.m., the defendant shot two victims with an illegal gun on the 900 block of Kensington Avenue near Olympic Avenue in the City of Buffalo. One victim, 37-year-old Jermaine Underwood, was pronounced dead at the scene. The second victim, a 31-year-old male, was taken by ambulance to ECMC where he was treated for injuries to his legs and released from the hospital.

Simpson pleaded guilty to one count of manslaughter in the first degree (class “B” violent felony) on May 16, 2024.

Keane commends the Buffalo Police Department Homicide Squad and responding officers for their work in this investigation.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Rebecca L. Schnirel of the homicide bureau.