Man Shot by Off-duty Niagara Falls Cop During Car Theft Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison

Niagara Action
4 days ago
2 min read

A Buffalo man who was shot by an off-duty Niagara Falls police officer during a car theft incident in Buffalo has been sentenced to prison.

On Wednesday, Erie County Court Judge Kenneth Case sentenced 20-year-old Dorian D. Jones to a determinate five-year prison term followed by five years of post-release supervision.

The case stems from a January 9th incident around 6pm on Cheltenham Drive in Buffalo. Prosecutors said Jones brandished what looked like a handgun and forcibly stole a vehicle from a man and his two children. The man, who was later identified as an off-duty Niagara Falls Police Department officer, discharged his firearm during the robbery. Jones drove off while one of the children remained inside the vehicle.

Police found Jones a short distance away on Delaware Avenue. He was transported to Erie County Medical Center and treated for non-life-threatening injuries. The child inside the vehicle was located safely nearby.

Jones pleaded guilty on April 9th to two counts of second-degree robbery, a Class C violent feloniy, and one count of second-degree menacing, a Class A misdemeanor. According to Erie County District Attorney Michael J. Keane, Jones pleaded guilty to the most serious charges that could be upheld.

At the time of the January carjacking, Jones was awaiting sentencing in unrelated cases tied to stolen vehicles. On October 30, 2024, he had entered guilty pleas before Judge Case to one count of fourth-degree criminal possession of stolen property, a Class “E” felony, and two counts of third-degree unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, both Class “A” misdemeanors. Jones had been released under supervision while awaiting his January 27th sentencing in those matters. Following the January 9th robbery, however, he was taken into custody and held without bail.

District Attorney Keane praised the work of law enforcement in bringing the case to a close.