JAMESTOWN, NY — The Chautauqua County District Attorney’s Office announced it will not pursue criminal charges in connection with a fatal shooting that occurred behind a downtown bar last year.
Corey Johnson, 25, of Buffalo, died from a gunshot wound to the head during an altercation in the early morning hours of Aug. 16, 2024, behind the Wine Cellar bar at 309 North Main Street.
Johnson was transported to UPMC Hamot Medical Center in Erie, Pennsylvania, where he died a short time later.
District Attorney Jason Schmidt said in a statement that Johnson was the first person to introduce a deadly weapon into the altercation by producing a handgun from inside his clothing.
Johnson then chased after another individual and repeatedly attempted to shoot that person, according to Schmidt.
A physical struggle ensued during which Johnson was fatally shot with his own handgun, Schmidt said.
“Under these facts, the deadly physical force provisions of New York’s self-defense/justification law provide an absolute defense to the person who may have pulled the trigger during the final struggle resulting in Mr. Johnson’s death,” Schmidt said.
The Jamestown Police Department responded to the scene within minutes and processed it with assistance from the Chautauqua County Forensics Investigation Team.
Investigators recovered numerous items of physical evidence, including a defaced 9mm semi-automatic handgun used in the incident.
Police also obtained multiple surveillance video recordings capturing the shooting from different viewpoints and interviewed numerous witnesses.
The New York State Police Forensic Lab later analyzed the evidence.
