2 Teens Sentenced for Fatally Shooting 3-Year-Old N.Y. Boy While He Was Playing Outside By Nicole Acosta

Two teenagers in New York state have been sentenced for their roles in a shooting that killed a 3-year-old boy and wounded his sister.

Ramone “Red” Carter and his 7-year-old sister were playing outside in Buffalo when the siblings were struck by gunfire around 9:30 p.m. on June 21, 2024, according to a press release shared by the Erie County District Attorney’s Office.

The 3-year-old boy was taken to a local hospital, where he later died from his injuries, prosecutors said. His sister survived.

“A few minutes after the shooting, Buffalo Police apprehended the suspects, a 14-year-old male and a 16-year-old male, a few blocks away from the scene of the crime,” the release states. “The teens were wearing clothes and shoes that matched descriptions provided by eyewitnesses.”

Prosecutors said the children were not the intended targets of the shooting, for which the teenagers were sentenced this month.

On Jan. 2, Jahaan Taylor, now 16, was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison, the maximum sentence allowed for a juvenile offender, per the D.A.’s office.

A jury found him guilty in October 2025 of all counts, including second-degree murder, attempted murder, and other criminal offenses.

Additionally, Elijah Mumford, now 17, was convicted of first-degree manslaughter and second-degree assault, but the assault charge was later dismissed, prosecutors said. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison followed by five years of post-release supervision. He was denied youthful offender adjudication.

Before the shooting, the teens approached a group of boys, prosecutors said. One of them opened fire at the group with an illegal gun, but those shots hit the children instead. Investigators said two guns were used, but only one was recovered.

“Ramone ‘Red’ Carter was an innocent victim of gun violence perpetrated by two teenagers in possession of illegal firearms,” District Attorney Mike Keane said in the release.

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“I commend the surviving victim for her courageous actions on the day of this crime and bravely testifying before a jury. I also want to acknowledge the responding officers who rendered immediate aid to ‘Red’ and those who swiftly apprehended the suspects moments after the shooting.”

The boy’s mother, Shakenya Griffin, spoke after the sentencing about how the loss has affected her.

“I don’t have my son,” she said, per local news station WKBW. “So even though they’re going to be in jail, they’re still living, and I don’t have my son. And I always wanted to have a baby boy, and my baby boy is gone. He’s with me, but he’s not here with me at all.”

Buffalo’s then-Mayor, Byron Brown, said at a press conference that Griffin was active in the community and worked to keep other families and children safe from violence as a member of the Most Valuable Parents organization.