2 teens charged with murder of Medina woman, 20, in Lockport
Cheyenne Farewell
LOCKPORT – Two teen-agers, ages 16 and 17, have been arrested and charged with murder in the second degree for the death of Cheyenne Farewell, 20, of Medina. She was shot and killed on Saturday at about 12:20 a.m., at a Halloween party on Niagara Street.
Five other people, ages 15 to 21, also were shot. Those victims are from Medina, Lockport and Corfu.
The two juveniles were arrested at 11:30 p.m. Tuesday. They were arraigned in Youth Court in Niagara Falls today. Because of their ages their names aren’t being released publicly.
They have also been charged with second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. They are being held on $500,000 cash bail and $1 million bond. They are due to next appear in court on Oct. 26.
Caroline Wojtaszek, Niagara County district attorney, spoke at a 1 p.m. news conference in Lockport today. She said the two juveniles likely will face additional charges including murder with a depraved indifference to human life for firing a gun into a closed garage door knowing there are people behind the door.
Wojtaszek said Farewell and the other victims weren’t targeted. The two juveniles were acting on a grudge that didn’t include the people who were shot.
“Cheyenne Farewell was not part of this dispute,” Wojtaszek said. “She was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Lockport Police Chief Steven Abbott said multiple law enforcement agencies worked around the clock since the shooting on Saturday to make the arrests early this morning.
Abbott and Wojtaszek said law enforcement has more work to do. They welcome more assistance from the public, including people who attended the party. Law enforcement wants to know what people saw at the party and what was shared on social media, including Snapchat.
Wojtaszek said assistance from the public is “essential” in building the case and getting a conviction.
“We need your courage to come forward with any information to help us,” the district attorney said. “This is a tragedy beyond words.”
Farewell, a 2018 Medina graduate, was a student at Brockport State College. Her family had calling hours on Tuesday at Cooper Funeral Home in Medina.
“Cheyenne deserves justice,” Wojtaszek said. “Her family deserves justice. This community deserves justice.”
