Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn announces that 20-year-old Jeremiah Johnson of Town of Amherst pleaded guilty this morning before Erie County Court Judge Susan Eagan to one count of Attempted Murder in the Second Degree and one count of Assault in the First Degree (Class “B” violent felonies). The defendant pleaded guilty to all charges in the indictment against him.

On July 26, 2021, at approximately 11:40 p.m., the defendant was the driver of a vehicle involved in drive-by shooting on Fairgreen Avenue in the Town of Amherst. The victim, a 17-year-old male, was walking down the street when he was shot with a rifle. The defendant, charged with the crime under the theory of accomplice liability, provided the shooter with the rifle and drove away from the scene of the crime.

The male victim was taken to ECMC where he underwent surgery for serious physical injuries. The victim suffered paralysis and continues to receive treatment for the injuries he sustained in the attack.

Johnson was arrested on an indictment warrant after he was located in Orange County, California in late December 2021. He was extradited back to Buffalo in January 2022 to be prosecuted for the crime.

A 19-year-old male from Rochester, New York also pleaded guilty, as charged, to one count of Attempted Murder in the Second Degree and one count of Assault in the First Degree. The adolescent offender, who was 17-years-old at the time of the crime, intentionally fired the rifle at the victim from the passenger seat of the Johnson’s vehicle.

Johnson and the adolescent offender each face a maximum of 25 years in prison when they are sentenced on Wednesday, December 7, 2022 at 11:00 a.m. Both continue to remain held without bail.

DA Flynn commends the Amherst Police Department for their work in the investigation as well as the US Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force for locating the defendants.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Rebecca L. Schnirel of the Major Crimes Unit.