Defense Team Seeks to Block Police Interview Video in Shooting Death of 3-year-old

Attorneys for a teenager charged in the 2024 shooting death of 3-year-old Ramone Carter are asking a judge to prevent the release of key police interview footage arguing that online hostility toward their client and his family has raised serious safety concerns.

In recently filed court documents, the legal team representing the younger of the two teen suspects pointed to what they describe as threatening social media commentary that emerged after news of the case went public. Their goal, they say, is to limit public exposure of sensitive case material such as their client’s recorded interrogation in an effort to avoid further risks.

“These efforts are not just about privacy,” the defense attorneys wrote. “They’re about protecting our client and his loved ones from potential harm stemming from inflammatory online reactions.”

Prosecutors, however, dismissed the argument. In their response, they claimed the posts cited by the defense were neither specific nor directly aimed at the defendant or his relatives.

“There is no evidence of direct threats,” prosecutors wrote. “The defense is reacting to public commentary that, while emotional, doesn’t target anyone individually or constitute a legitimate reason to withhold admissible evidence.”

The two teens — now 17 and 15 — are accused in the June 21st, 2024, shooting that also wounded Carter’s 7-year-old sister. The suspects, both juveniles at the time, face charges including second-degree murder and attempted murder. Due to their ages, both juveniles' names are being withheld.

Judge Brenda Freedman of the Erie County Youth Part is expected to rule in June on whether the younger teen’s recorded statement to police - along with related testimony - will be admissible.

Defense lawyers Paul Dell and Connor Dougherty contend that law enforcement violated wiretapping laws by capturing video and audio of a conversation between their client and his mother in a Buffalo police interview room. They argue that such recordings, even in a police setting, should not be allowed in court under federal and state laws.

Prosecutors pushed back calling the argument “unprecedented” and stating that no expectation of privacy exists in a police interview room. They also noted that both the teen and his mother were informed about the recording.

The issue of evidence admissibility first arose during a February hearing when prosecutors played footage of the older teen's interview. In that video, detectives claimed the teen passed a mask - allegedly worn during the shooting - to his mother when police briefly stepped out. Only one of the two masks involved in the crime was ever recovered.

Assistant District Attorney Noha Elnakib downplayed the defense’s concerns about online backlash, writing that such posts are common in high-profile violent cases.

“Families affected by these tragedies often vent on social media. It’s an emotional outlet,” Elnakib wrote. “What’s happening in this case is not unusual and shouldn’t be used to limit the court’s ability to hear evidence.”

Defense Team Seeks to Block Police Interview Video in Shooting Death of 3-year-old