Madjid Elbert, 46, was shot and killed outside the Del Denby Tavern on Hertel Avenue in Buffalo in the early hours of May 7, 2024. Police were called at about 1:15 a.m.; Elbert, a chef, was found with a gunshot wound and later pronounced dead at Erie County Medical Center.

Initial reports suggested the victim and his assailant knew each other, but surveillance footage showed Elbert arriving around 9:30 p.m. to watch a basketball game and sitting at one end of the bar. A man identified later as 27-year-old William Quinones arrived about three hours after Elbert; the two did not appear to interact until both stepped outside, where a brief altercation on the tavern’s front patio ended when Quinones shot Elbert.

The Buffalo Police Department opened a homicide investigation and the tavern was ordered to close temporarily. Elbert’s family described him as a talented chef who had worked in Western New York and hoped to own a food truck. Does anyone have information about that night or knew Madjid’s work and plans?