A Rochester man has been arraigned in connection with the fatal shooting at a West Seneca sports complex. The Erie County District Attorney's Office says Andre Lewis, 39, was arraigned Wednesday in State Supreme Court on a charge of murder in the second degree.
In the evening of April 29, the DA alleges Lewis got into a verbal argument with his mother’s ex-husband at a basketball tournament at the Niagara Frontier Sports Complex on Meyer Road in West Seneca. The argument escalated into a physical confrontation, during which the victim, 54-year-old Robert Echols of Rochester, was pulled to the ground by several other people.
Lewis is accused of pulling out his licensed pistol and shooting Echols in the chest while he was on the ground. Authorities say Lewis then shot Echols a second time when he attempted to get up.
Lewis pleaded not guilty and was remanded to jail without bail. He faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted of the charge.