A Buffalo man will spend at least the next quarter-century in prison for gunning down another man in a parking lot last year. Mikel L. Lowe, 32, was sentenced to 25 years to life for the fatal shooting of 36-year-old Deval Watkins, who died at the scene after being shot with an illegal handgun.
According to WIVB News 4, Lowe, who is from Buffalo, was convicted of the fatal shooting of Watkins after shooting him with an illegal handgun. The shooting took place in April 2025 in a parking lot on the 400 block of William Street near Jefferson Avenue, according to the station's reporting on the case.
Per wnypapers.com, the shooting happened on Saturday, April 19, 2025, at approximately 1:30 a.m., when Lowe intentionally shot Watkins in the parking lot near William and Jefferson in Buffalo's William-Emslie neighborhood. Watkins died at the scene, the outlet reported.
Jury Convicts Lowe on All Counts After Five-Day Trial
In August 2026, a jury found Lowe guilty of one count of second-degree murder and one count of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, convicting him of all counts in the indictment. Jurors rendered their decision after approximately 10 hours of deliberation following a five-day trial, the same account notes.
Lowe was sentenced before State Supreme Court Justice Paul B. Wojtaszek, the report states. The case was reported by the Erie County District Attorney's Office, according to the office's own statement on Lowe's sentence and shooting conviction.
What the Weapons Charge Covers Under State Law
Lowe's conviction included a count of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree. Under New York Penal Law § 265.03, the offense includes categories involving a machine gun, a loaded firearm, a disguised gun, or possession of more than five firearms, according to the New York State Senate.
Shooting Came Amid a Sharp Drop in Buffalo Homicides
The shooting that killed Watkins occurred during a period when Buffalo's overall homicide numbers were falling. The city recorded 27 homicides in 2025, a 29% decrease from 2024 and 51% below the city's five-year average, according to Spectrum News. The city even went 73 consecutive days without a reported homicide, from July 18 to September 29 of that year, per the same report, and overall index crime was down 11% compared with 2024.
