On Saturday afternoon, October 12, 2024, 20-year-old MDrawnaq Ratin was fatally shot in the chest on a residential street on Cedar Road in Cheektowaga, New York, after a dispute over a parking spot. Ratin and a friend were confronted by a man who, according to the friend, produced a handgun. As Ratin and his friend tried to return to their car, the assailant fired. First responders transported Ratin to Erie County Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

The man who remained at the scene and cooperated with law enforcement was identified as 44-year-old Richard J. Walls of Cheektowaga; a handgun was recovered at the location. Ratin’s family and friends described him as kind and dependable with a bright future, and some raised concerns that the shooting may have been a hate crime. A memorial service took place at the Buffalo Muslim Centre.

Does anyone have information about the dispute or witnessed what happened on Cedar Road that afternoon?