Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan has declared a State of Emergency over gun violence.
The Democrat Friday evening said the action is a direct result of a 22 percent increase of confirmed shots fired over the past 28 days, compared to the same period last year.
Friday’s declaration came hours after a fatal shooting near the entrance of Washington Park, a block away from a street known for its bars and nightclubs.
Police Chief Eric Hawkins declared Lark Street establishment Café Hollywood a Public Safety Nuisance, after police connected the bar to the early morning incident where a man was shot in the head near the intersection of Willett Street and Hudson Avenue. The man, identified as 34-year-old Lamon Lanier of Albany, died of his injuries on Saturday.
Authorities said Café Hollywood has been the subject of more than 20 calls for service over the last three months. The city has issued a Cease and Desist order citing a “non-compliant café patio area” and has requested the New York State Liquor Authority revoke the bar’s liquor license as a result of recent violence.
In early June, officials connected a machete attack to an altercation that began at the bar.
Meantime, the Albany Police Department is investigating a shooting in the city’s West Hill neighborhood that killed one and injured two others early Saturday.
APD says officers responded to the area of Third and Oak Streets around 4:45 a.m., where they located a 30-year-old man with gunshot wounds to the torso. The man identified as Rashad Nicholson was transported to Albany Medical Center where he later died.
Hospital staff notified police of two others who entered the emergency room with gunshot wounds: a 30-year-old man shot in the abdomen and a 32-year-old woman shot in the leg.
Both individuals were reportedly shot during the Third Street incident and were being treated for non-life threatening injuries.
Authorities are asking anyone with information to contact the APD Detective Division at 518-462-8039 or to anonymously submit tips online to CapitalRegionCrimeStoppers.com or by using the P3Tips mobile app.
