BUFFALO, N.Y. — A Buffalo man has been charged with murder in connection with the shooting at Club Marcella earlier this year.
Sharief McBroom, 20, was arraigned in Erie County Court on one count of Murder in the Second Degree, two counts of Attempted Murder in the Second Degree, and one count of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree.
The Erie County District Attorney's Office says McBroom allegedly fire multiple shots at the victim, Jorge Garcia Leon, 21, inside the Michigan Avenue nightclub on February 12. Leon died at the scene.
Two other people were injured in the shooting. They were taken to ECMC to be treated for their injuries.
Police found McBroom in South Buffalo and arrested him on a warrant for a sealed indictment. A reward had been offered for information leading to McBroom's arrest. It's unknown if a tip led to his arrest.
"I want to thank the U.S. Marshals and the Buffalo Police Department for their diligence in this matter," Erie County District Attorney John Flynn said. "They've been looking for him for the past month, and they were able to find him, you know, right in our own backyard here in South Buffalo."
McBroom is scheduled to return to court on April 18 for a pre-trial conference. He is currently being held without bail.
"What we believe took place in the early morning hours here at Club Marcella was a fight over flirting," Flynn said.
According to the district attorney, a fight then broke out and Club Marcella quickly broke it up.
The fight allegedly occurred between Jorge Garcia Leon and Sharief McBroom, according to a source with direct knowledge.
After security separated the groups involved, Flynn says that McBroom allegedly went into an area where Leon was and began shooting, killing Leon and injuring two others.
There seems to be some confusion over how the gun made it into Club Marcella.
In order to enter the venue, a patron must be patted down by a security guard, then they walk through a metal detector. If that detector indicates a metal object, that patron is patted down again.
According to the owners of Club Marcella, over 70 security camera's were in place on the night of the shooting, and over a dozen security guards were working.
District Attorney Flynn, however, says he believes some aspect of security fell through the cracks on the night of the shooting.
"I'm not very impressed by their security, put it that way," Flynn said.
It was initially reported that a weapon may have been passed through a barb wire fence towards the back of the property.
"The the tune changed on the initial thought on how the gun involved in the shooting got in there by further investigation," Flynn said. "So the more you peel away the onion sometimes and you investigate further, you get different scenarios and different facts emerge and different evidence emerges."
The owners of Club Marcella disagree with the district attorney's assessment of the security measures inside the venue.
In a statement provided to 2 On Your Side, Club Marcella CFO Michael Slyder said the following:
"We remain committed to working with the Buffalo Police Department and the district attorney's office on this matter. We are very grateful to the Buffalo Police Department and the US Marshals for having captured Mr. McBroom. While we very much respect the DA and his office, we respectfully disagree regarding his assessment of our security staff, who we believe did a phenomenal job that night, one of whom was injured shot that night and we wish him well and continue to recover."
If convicted, McBroom could face up the maximum sentence of 50 years to life in prison.
A 17-year-old teen has also been charged in connection to this shooting. He has been charged with:
- three counts of Assault in the First Degree (Class “B” violent felonies)
- one count of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree (Class “C” violent felony)
- three counts of Reckless Endangerment in the First Degree (Class “D” felonies)
- two counts of Criminal Possession of a Firearm (Class “E” felonies)
Police said the shooting stemmed from some type of argument.