Driver Sentenced After Running Over Niagara Falls Man 'Multiple Times'

Niagara County District Attorney Brian Seaman announced that 20-year-old Patrick J. Washington III of Buffalo has been sentenced to 17 years in prison, followed by five years of post-release supervision, after pleading guilty to first-degree manslaughter.

Washington admitted to intentionally striking 26-year-old Xavier T. Gober of Niagara Falls with his vehicle on October 15th, 2024, on Hyde Park Boulevard resulting in Gober’s death. The case was handled by the Niagara Falls Police Department and prosecuted by First Assistant District Attorney Doreen Hoffmann and Assistant District Attorney Carrington Crossley. County Court Judge Caroline Wojtaszek issued the sentence.

Washington previously acknowledged in court that he killed Gober by deliberately running him over “multiple times” with an SUV in the 200 block of Hyde Park Boulevard during the early morning hours of October 15th. Washington entered his guilty plea to one count of first-degree manslaughter during a Niagara County Court hearing. At the time, he faced up to 25 years in prison.

Initially, a Niagara County grand jury indicted Washington on charges of second-degree murder and leaving the scene of a fatal accident. He pleaded not guilty to those counts and remained in custody without bail following his indictment.

Police said officers were dispatched around 2:30am on October 15th to reports of a “pedestrian struck by a vehicle” in the vicinity of 287 Hyde Park Boulevard near D Street. Responding officers found Gober lying “unresponsive” in the roadway. Emergency crews attempted lifesaving measures, but he was pronounced dead shortly afterward.

According to witnesses, Gober had been injured in a fight and was left in the street when Washington entered an SUV and drove over him “multiple times.” Investigators recovered cell phone video that reportedly shows Washington hitting Gober, reversing over him, and driving over him again.

Driver Sentenced After Running Over Niagara Falls Man 'Multiple Times'