Albany Police on Thursday released details on two deaths Sunday that closed down portions of Erie Boulevard and Interstate 90.
Albany police say a woman was killed when her on-again-off-again boyfriend shot her in the head three times while they were riding in the same car and then drove over her Sunday afternoon. Speaking at police headquarters, Acting Chief Robert Sears said 21-year-old Nahjayyah Daise of Albany was treated by first responders near the intersection of Erie Street and Erie Boulevard. She was taken to Albany Medical Center where she died.
“As we were gathering witness information and trying to determine exactly what happened, we were notified that the state police responded to a motor vehicle accident up on I-90 westbound where a pedestrian was struck by a vehicle and in very critical shape as well,” said Sears.
Sears said that man was 22-year-old Larnell Kennedy of Albany, who had been in and out of a relationship with Daise for about five years. Sears said the two were separated, but Daise was driving Kennedy on Sunday.
“At some point in time, they were in the white car driving down Erie Street towards Erie Boulevard,” Sears said. “It’s at this point where we believe the suspect shot our victim in the head three times as the car was moving. Witness accounts then put our suspect chasing after the vehicle as it rolled towards the intersection of Erie Street and Erie Boulevard. The vehicle eventually came to a stop after hitting a utility pole in the area down there. At this point, our suspect attempts to get the victim out of the driver’s seat and puts her in the trunk of the vehicle. He was unable to do so. At this point, witnesses confronted the suspect asking him if he needed help or if he needed to call 911. The suspect dropped the young lady. Tried to leave. Backed over the young lady and was stopped by the witness who had put his vehicle in between the suspect’s vehicle in the road so he was unable to get out. At that point, the suspect starts running back down Erie Street. He jumps over a couple of fences and makes his way to I-90 where he eventually gets struck by a vehicle traveling on I-90.”
Police say Kennedy was found unresponsive on I-90. He was also pronounced dead at Albany Med. Sears says authorities do not have a motive, but have spoken with next of kin.
“They did not indicate that anything this drastic would happen,” Sears said. “I know that the relationship, without getting too much into their personal business, did have some up and downs as being a young couple and that they were not together recently, in the last few months they were separate.”
Sears says state police found a gun on I-90 with a destroyed serial number. He did confirm that Daise was charged in a May stabbing in nearby Bethlehem.
