Submitted Photo Jennifer Alicea, Antonio Watts’ partner, stands with their children Mesiah Watts, 9, and Jen’Alys Watts, 8.

Four names appeared prominently on signs displayed in a small, emotional gathering this week: Thomas Douglas. Andrew Garner. Antonio Watts. Trevon Tripp.

None of the victims can speak for themselves today. All were shot and killed in Chautauqua County over the last 14 years — with no one deemed responsible for their deaths yet.

For the second year in a row, family members connected to Watts made sure the community and system did not forget about these men. In 2024, they stood in front of Dunkirk City Hall. On Monday, they took their small demonstration to Mayville near the Chautauqua County Courthouse.

After learning the small group was at Chautauqua and Erie streets, county District Attorney Jason Schmidt met with those who showed up seeking answers. “I felt it was my responsibility to hear what they had to say, understand their concerns and try to address them and answer any questions they have,” Schmidt said in an email statement Thursday. “I always try to be as transparent as I can when discussing the status or issues surrounding our criminal matters, but only to the extent of not compromising the integrity of the investigations or the pending or anticipated prosecutions. This isn’t always easy to do, but I feel strongly that people have a right to know how their tax dollars are being spent, and that, as an elected official, I am answerable to the public.”

Watts died days after three shots were fired in the area of 88 Maple Ave. in Dunkirk on May 23, 2023, stemming from an argument with one round striking him. The traumatic events surrounding the incident happened while youth and neighbors spent time outside on what was considered a perfect spring day around 4:30 p.m.

Schmidt, who previously represented Watts and knew his girlfriend, did not mince words when discussing the “frustration” involved in the investigation. “Antonio Watts’ killing was a senseless, cowardly act – the murder of an unarmed man who was protecting his children – and haunts me to this day. … What makes the case especially hard for all of us involved – police, prosecutors, Antonio’s family and friends, and civilian witnesses who live and/or were outside in the immediate area where Antonio was gunned down just after school let out on a beautiful May afternoon two years ago – is that we all know who did it,” he said. “This is not a whodunnit. But knowing and proving what we know in a court of law are two very different things. Many people were present when Antonio was killed. His killing wasn’t an unwitnessed crime occurring in an isolated location under the cover of darkness; he was shot in broad daylight while standing in between two houses with a small crowd of people surrounding him and his killers.

“Schoolchildren, still wearing their backpacks, some walking and others just milling around enjoying the sunny afternoon, were only feet away. But because each and every one of these people were ultimately scared of what might happen to them if they came forward, no one will testify to what they saw that day.”

Despite the sentiments of Schmidt, family members continue to grieve, haunted by the loss of a father and brother. “Chautauqua County will be a safer place when we get these killers and murderers off the street and hold them accountable before they take another life,” said Marisol Mendez, whose daughter was partners with Watts for nine years.

Almost notoriously, the number of unsolved murders is one more cause for concern. In addition to what happened to Watts, the others named on signs this day included:

— Douglas, a resident of Buffalo, who died from gunshot wounds on July 17, 2011, on Arrowhead Drive, in the town of Dunkirk.

— Garner, who died on June 11, 2021, in a shooting at the South Shore Motor Lodge in Dunkirk on Route 5.

— Tripp, 26, of Dunkirk, who was shot and killed at 839 Prendergast Ave., Jamestown, on March 18, 2024. William Hernandez of Jamestown, Juan Rivera-Torres of Jamestown, and Evan Nix of Amherst have been indicted and charged with first-degree robbery. In addition, Rivera-Torres is also facing a loaded gun possession charge. But none of the three have been charged yet in the killing as the investigation continues.

For Chautauqua County, 2024 was a deadly year with seven homicides reported. Though Watts’ death was the focal point of the protest to bring awareness this week in Mayville, it’s clear unsolved crimes continue to take a toll on the community. On the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Department website is a page at www.sheriff.us/coldcases dedicated to the efforts.

In addition to these cases impacting African American men since 2011, seven others are listed on the site that remain a mystery. They include Jane Doe from 1983; Judith Lynn McElhheney from 1990; Rebecca Nicholson in 1990; Benjamin Reyes-Gonzalez in 1998; John Caylor in 2003; William A. Taft in 2005; and Lori Ceci Bova from 1997.

Not on the list — and still open — are deaths of Judith Threlkeld in 1976; Beth Ann Patterson in 1978 in Brocton; Jerry Nickerson and Mark Trautman in 2006 in the town of Dunkirk; Brian Heyden in the town of Portland in April 2018 and Billy Hall Jr., who died of a brutal beating in Fredonia, in July 2018.

Tom Di Zinnio and Tom Tarpley head this unit of unsolved murders for the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Department. They can be reached by those who have any information at (716) 753-4578 or (716) 753-4579.

Watts’ death, Schmidt says, does not fall under this category. “This is not a cold or closed case. … Dunkirk Police, me and my investigators – we continue to work this case and to urge those that were there that day to do the right thing, come forward to provide a statement on the record no matter how scared they are.

“Do this not just for Antonio and his children and loved ones, but for the entire Dunkirk city community which was victimized by these cowards and their heinous, violent actions. I can promise those brave persons who come forward that we will do everything within our powers under the law to protect them and hold Antonio’s killer’s accountable. … Justice has been delayed in this case, without question. But it is our sincere hope that justice delayed will not be justice denied. I continue to have hope that we will one day be able to bring our case against Antonio’s killers forward.”

John D’Agostino is the editor of The Post-Journal, OBSERVER and Times Observer in Warren, Pa. Send comments to jdagostino@observertoday.com or call 716-487-1111, ext. 253.