Buffalo man pleads guilty to killing 1, injuring 2 in Club Marcella shooting

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) -- A Buffalo man pleaded guilty Monday afternoon to killing one person and injuring two others in a shooting inside a nightclub in downtown Buffalo, the Erie County District Attorney's Office said.

Officials said around 2:30 a.m. on Feb. 12, 2023, Sharief McBroom, 21, intentionally fired multiple shots at the victim inside Club Marcella, located on the 100 block of Michigan Avenue.

The victim, 21-year-old Jorge Garcia Leon, died at the scene. Two other people, a 49-year-old male and a 59-year-old male, were injured by gunfire and taken by ambulance to ECMC, according to the district attorney's Office.

McBroom pleaded guilty to the following charges:

• second-degree murder, one count
• second-degree attempted murder, two counts
• second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, one count

He faces a maximum sentence of 50 years to life in prison when he is sentenced on Sept. 9 and remains held without bail.

McBroom was arrested in April 2023 in South Buffalo on a warrant for a sealed indictment after a search that lasted around a month.

"This is a completely senseless, violent crime," said Acting Erie County District Attorney Michael Keane. "This defendant snuck an illegal gun into a nightclub then intentionally fired multiple shots at the victims after a minor altercation. I am taking a hard stance on gun violence, so no reduced plea was offered in this case."