A birthday party in Buffalo’s Black Rock neighborhood in the summer of 2021 ended in tragedy when gunfire erupted after a dispute among attendees. Seventeen-year-old Najae Lanier was at the gathering when Ja’Vair Walker left and returned with a firearm; eyewitnesses, including children as young as 12 and 14, later testified that Walker opened fire into the crowd. Najae, an unarmed teenager, was struck at close range and killed.

Walker fled the state after the shooting and was located and arrested in Ohio by U.S. Marshals before being returned to Buffalo. At trial the court heard emotional testimony, including a statement from Najae’s mother about the loss of her daughter. Ja’Vair Walker, then 21, was convicted of Najae’s murder and sentenced by an Erie County Court Judge to 25 years to life in prison.

If anyone at that gathering or in the neighborhood remembers details that could shed light on what happened that night, please share what is known.