Buffalo Man Indicted for Fatal Shooting in City's Riverside Neighborhood

Erie County District Attorney Michael J. Keane announces that Sir Raven Rodgers, 30, of Buffalo, has been arraigned before State Supreme Court Justice Paul B. Wojtaszek on one count of Murder in the Second Degree (Class A-I felony) and one count of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree (Class C violent felony). Justice Wojtaszek unsealed the indictment and arraigned the defendant on Monday, November 10, 2025.

It is alleged that on Tuesday, October 14, 2025, at approximately 9:30 p.m., the defendant intentionally shot the victim with an illegal gun on Isabelle Street near Laird Avenue in the City of Buffalo. The victim, 47-year-old Rafael Ruiz Quinones, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Rodgers is scheduled to return for a pre-trial conference before Erie County Court Judge Kenneth Case on Friday, November 21, 2025, at 9:30 a.m. He was held without bail.

If convicted of the highest charge, Rodgers faces a maximum sentence of 25 years to life in prison.

DA Keane commends Detective Joseph Ruggiero and the Buffalo Police Department for their work in this investigation.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Christopher S. Safulko of the Homicide Bureau.

As are all persons accused of a crime, the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.