Cherokee man sentenced to 30 years in prison for deadly shooting
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WSPA) — A man was sentenced to 30 years in prison for a deadly shooting that took place in a Native American community.
The United States Department of Justice said 33-year-old Brandon Tyler Buchanan shot and killed Kobe Toineeta in November 2022.Officials said Buchanan is an enrolled member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
Court records and proceedings said officers with the Cherokee Indian Police Department (CIPD) responded to a 911 call reporting a shooting on Nov. 11, 2022.
Man sentenced to life in prison for cold case murder in Indian Country
Upon arrival, officers said Buchanan admitted to shooting someone. Officers then found Toineeta's body, who had been shot five times.
Court documents said that a handgun was found in Buchanan's apartment; lab testing confirmed the gun was used to kill Toineeta.
Buchanan pleaded guilty to second degree murder on May 31, 2024. He remains in federal custody, awaiting transfer to the Federal Bureau of Prisons after being assigned to a federal prison.
In addition to his 30-year sentence, Buchanan was ordered to serve five years of supervised release upon completing his prison term and to pay $888,500 in restitution to the victim's estate.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Yahoo
Former O.C. supervisor Andrew Do sentenced to 5 years in federal prison
Former Orange County Supervisor Andrew Do has been sentenced to five years in federal prison. While in office, Andrew Hoang Do, 62, 'accept[ed] more than $550,000 in bribes for directing and vot[ed] in favor of more than $10 million in COVID-19 pandemic relief funds to a charity affiliated with one of his daughters,' the United States Department of Justice said in a news release. That nonprofit, the Viet America Society, received millions from the county, investigations by LAist and other outlets discovered. Do's daughter Rhiannon Do, 23, purchased a million-dollar home after VAS officials allegedly enriched themselves using the tax funds. 'As a county supervisor, Andrew Do transformed the County of Orange into an ATM available to his insiders, his loved ones, and himself, withdrawing millions of dollars to buy houses, lavish dinners, and expensive wine while the elderly, the sick, and the vulnerable who depended on Andrew Do were left to fend for themselves,' said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer. 'We, along with our federal partners, are continuing to peel back the layers of conspiracy to hold every thief accountable and return those stolen monies to the communities to which they belonged.' Do, who resigned his office and agreed to plead guilty to a charge of conspiracy to commit bribery last year, has a restitution hearing set for Aug. 11. He will be responsible for repaying 'the bribe money he and his daughters received,' prosecutors said, though the plea has already cost the Do family hundreds of thousands of dollars. 'Do forfeited assets connected to the bribery scheme, including the Tustin property his daughter purchased in 2023,' the DOJ said. 'As part of his daughter's related diversion agreement, she forfeited the Tustin property.' Also forfeited was Do's pension accrued during the scheme. 'Elected officials have a sworn duty to put their constituents' interests ahead of their own,' said United States Attorney Bill Essayli. 'Public money intended to assist aging and ailing pandemic victims instead filled the coffers of Do, his family, and insiders. I commend our prosecutors and law enforcement partners for their work on this important case and for helping to remove a corrupt politician from his seat of power.' Anyone with information on public corruption in Orange County is encouraged to send information to the FBI's email tip line at and/or to contact the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office at 310- 477-6565. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Yahoo
1 dead in multi-vehicle crash on I-240 in Asheville
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WSPA) – A man died over the weekend in a multi-vehicle crash on Interstate 240 in Asheville. The Asheville Police Department identified 41-year-old Zachariah Robert Cosgrove as the victim in the crash near Exit 1B on Saturday, June 7. Investigators said Cosgrove was driving a 2015 Jeep Wrangler in the westbound lanes. Around 2:52 p.m., it was reported that Cosgrove was changing lanes when he collided with a Pontiac Firebird. The crash caused the Jeep to roll over and subsequently collide with a 2018 Ford F-150 traveling in the same direction, according to officers. The F-150 also overturned as a result of the impact. Police said Cosgrove was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash and was ejected from the vehicle when it rolled. He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. Officers said a passenger in the Jeep was also taken to the hospital for minor injuries. Police did not share the conditions of the other drivers involved in the crash at this time. The crash remains under investigation by the Asheville PD. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Long Island neighborhood named New York's best place to live gives locals new swagger: ‘Why not us?'
Massapequa Park has got that swagger. The Long Island enclave is basking in the glow of earning the title of New York's best place to live in a US News & World Report ranking — with locals saying 'why not us?' It's some welcome attention after some unwanted association with the Gilgo Beach serial murder suspect and an ongoing fight to keep the local school's 'Chiefs' name and logo in the face of a state ban on Native American imagery. 'This is the place you want to start a family,' said lifelong resident Michael Cassano, owner of American Beauty restaurant in Massapequa Park Village. The Park — as it's nicknamed — is simply different because of the moxie and mettle of the upbeat, take-no-crap population of around 17,000, Cassano added. 'With that comes a pride — you see it in the fight to keep the Chiefs logo,' he said. 'Everybody is getting behind it, just how everybody gets behind this town for all sorts of things.' The neighborhood not only made New York's best but was among the top150 in America in the ranking, scoring high in quality of life categories. Both old and new residents said they weren't surprised, viewing the town as the perfect slice of Americana and great values, sitting pretty on the water east of New York City — which bombed toward the bottom 50 of over 850 rankings. Cassano's wife, Maria, 44, added that the South Shore area, where a median home goes for $746,500, per is one where 'we know each other's names.' She used the example of how the town rallied to support the family of slain NYPD officer Jonathan Diller as a vast majority of residents lined the busy Merrick Road out of respect for his funeral procession in the Spring of 2024. 'To see our community come together, that's a norm for us,' she said. 'I think this town brings families together.' The Cassano testimony paints the town in a much brighter light than what was seen after the 2023 arrest of lifelong resident and Berner High School graduate, alleged Gilgo Beach killer Rex Heuermann. Even that wasn't enough to dampen the good vibes in the village, which has since rocked back to normal since the worldwide press left First Avenue. The devastating news didn't deter Vinny and Allie Frazzetto, both 30, from closing on their home walking distance from the notorious Heuermann house last summer, either. 'The long-standing reputation that Massapequa Park has, the good schools, core values, and the wonderful community prevailed over anything else,' Allie Frazzetto said. Massapequa Park also scored high on public safety stats in the new ranking, as it is in US News and World Report's safest-ranked community in America for 2024. Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman praised Mayor Daniel Pearl for doing 'an outstanding job' in other areas of residential needs. That's why both Frazzettos called it quits on Bayside, Queens, as they're getting ready to raise baby No. 1, whom they're expecting in September. 'I love that you have the opportunities that a big district would give you, but the feel of a small neighborhood,' Allie Frazzetto, originally of Garden City, added of Jerry Seinfeld's hometown. 'I feel like you get the best of both worlds.' Her husband, originally of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, said he's excited for his little one to have friends on the block to play with as he grows up, just like dad did in the early 2000s. 'We wanted the great school districts that Massapequa has, and we wanted the backyard, we wanted that next chapter of life,' he said. And Massapequa High School's baseball, softball, and both girls and boys lacrosse teams all won county titles this spring. 'We have winners and successful people. It doesn't happen by accident,' town of Oyster Bay Supervisor Joe Saladino, a Massapequa grad. 'It happens because of tremendous support from the parents and the families. The community, and especially the school district. It reflects so well on everyone.' The Park is also home to a diverse range of blue- and white-collar walks of life that Rishi Matadeen, 43, a long-time manager at popular watering hole Johnny McGorey's, sees nightly. 'You could come off the LIRR and you could be in construction clothes…you come and sit down and you could sit next to a guy that works on Wall Street, who makes $400,000 a year,' he said. 'And there's no awkwardness…everyone feels comfortable here, so that's the beauty of it.' Matadeen was first 'a little shocked' to hear the news of being named No. 1 — but then it all made sense. 'You start to put things in perspective a little bit and realize you take things for granted,' he said. 'And you go, well, why not us, right?'
