On the evening of July 2, 2023, at about 10:00 PM at Locust and Walnut Streets in Lockport, New York, a dispute escalated into gunfire that killed 27-year-old Rakeem Hamilton. Emergency responders pronounced Hamilton dead at the scene after he sustained fatal gunshot wounds. A female passenger in the same vehicle was also hit, suffering a serious facial injury and was taken to Erie County Medical Center; the driver escaped unharmed.

Lockport Police identified 22-year-old Joshua Z. Chandler as the shooter, alleging Chandler opened fire on the vehicle after a dispute with the driver. Chandler and Hamilton were reported to have known each other. The incident was treated as a targeted shooting, and Chandler was arrested and charged with second-degree murder, first-degree assault, and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon.

The case proceeded to trial under the Niagara County District Attorney’s Office. Does anyone in the Lockport area have information about Hamilton, the events that night, or witnessed the shooting?