BUFFALO, N.Y. — On Wednesday, a Buffalo man was sentenced to prison time for shooting and killing a youth football coach in 2019.
Jason Washington, 20, was given a determinate sentence of 25 years in prison followed by five years of post-release supervision. Washington was sentenced as a second felony offender.
In March, the jury found Washington not guilty of murdering Norzel Aldridge in 2019. They also found him not guilty of attempted murder. However, the jury found the 20-year-old guilty of manslaughter, assault, and criminal possession of a weapon.
Washington testified Wednesday that he shot Aldridge in self-defense.
Aldridge, 36, was a well-known youth football coach in Buffalo. He was shot and killed after a game in Emerson Park behind the Harvey Austin School in August of 2019.
Washington was a teenager when he was charged with the shooting. The shooting happened after a fight involving Washington's cousin. Those involved tell 2 On Your Side there was already bad blood between the parties involved.
Erie County District Attorney John Flynn explained what happened at the park that day.
"There was a friend of the defendant and the kid who got shot in the shoulder, the two of them got into a fight. Okay? So the video clearly shows the two of them getting into a fight. The video shows the football coach, the victim who died here, all right, walking up to the fight holding a football helmet in his hand. He had just got done coaching the game, he was walking the equipment back to his car, and he came upon these two kids fighting," said District Attorney John Flynn.
Then Flynn says the video shows Washington running up to the fight.
"Pulling out a gun, and then when the football coach sees him pull out a gun, the football coach now takes his helmet and swings it at him to prevent him from shooting," says Flynn.
Flynn says that's when Washington shot Aldridge and killed him.
Washington faced up to 32 years in prison. He got 25.