The Erie County District Attorney's Office announced that 24-year-old Michael A. Atkinson of the Town of Tonawanda was sentenced in Erie County Court to seven years in prison followed by five years of post-release supervision.
The district attorney's office said on April 20, 2022, Atkinson shot and stabbed 19-year-old Harith Mohamed Al-Khalaf during a fight on James Avenue in the Town of Tonawanda. The victim died from his injuries a short time later and Atkinson was taken in a private vehicle to Kenmore Mercy where he was treated for minor stab wounds.
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A jury found Atkinson guilty of one count of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon following a four-day trial in September 2023. He was acquitted of a manslaughter charge.