BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — A former Buffalo firefighter has been sentenced for fatally shooting a man on Broadway in July 2021.
The Erie County District Attorney's Office announced that 25-year-old Blake M. Banks was sentenced Thursday in Erie County Court to a determinate sentence of 23 years in prison followed by five years of post-release supervision.
According to the district attorney's office on July 20, 2021 Banks, a former Buffalo firefighter who was off-duty at the time, shot 40-year-old Jason Johnson in the back. Banks and Johnson were involved in an argument over a vehicle repair and Johnson was walking away when Banks shot him and then left on foot.
The district attorney's office said Johnson attempted to drive away after being shot but crashed his vehicle nearby. He was taken to ECMC where he later died from his injuries.
Banks pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter in May. A City of Buffalo spokesperson said Banks was hired in February 2020 and was under probationary status at the time of the incident.
