A 32-year-old man showed up at Albany Medical Center with head injuries consistent with graze wounds from gunfire on Wednesday afternoon, after police were called to the area of Second Avenue and W. Van Vechten Street for reports of shots fired around 2:30 p.m. Albany Med staff said the man arrived a short time after officers were dispatched and that his injuries were non-life-threatening.
Albany police confirmed the man's head wounds were consistent with having been grazed by gunfire, according to WRGB. Investigators have not released details on where exactly the shots were fired, who may have been involved, or what led up to the gunfire. Authorities are asking anyone with information to call the Albany Police Detective Division at 518-462-8039, submit an anonymous tip through Capital Region Crime Stoppers, or use the P3 Tips mobile app.
A Street With a Troubled History of Gunfire
Wednesday's shooting adds to a string of gun violence incidents that have repeatedly drawn Albany police to the Second Avenue corridor in recent years, though there is no indication the cases are connected. In May 2023, officers responded to a shooting at a barber shop at 221 Second Avenue and found three people with gunshot wounds, including a 47-year-old man who was later pronounced dead at Albany Medical Center and two other victims, ages 19 and nine, who were treated there for non-life-threatening injuries, per the same outlet's earlier reporting.
More recently, officers responded to a residence on the 300 block of Second Avenue in July 2024 and found a 19-year-old with a foot injury and evidence consistent with gunfire, the station reported. The following February, Albany police responded around 2 p.m. to a shooting at a home at 205 Second Avenue near South Dove Street, where a wounded man was found inside and later listed in critical condition at Albany Medical Center Hospital, according to the Times Union.
Pattern of Reports Across the Neighborhood
That February 2025 shooting came less than 48 hours after police responded to reported gunfire at 147 Second Avenue near Liebel Street, where no one was hurt but vehicles and a building were damaged, the Times Union noted. In June of this year, police investigated another shooting nearby on Stanwix Street close to Second Avenue, where a 26-year-old man suffered a gunshot wound to his arm and was reported in stable condition at Albany Medical Center.
A separate incident, reported by cbs6albany.com, described officers responding around 3:30 a.m. to the area of Second Avenue and Boenau Street, where they found a 19-year-old with a gunshot wound to his leg who was taken to Albany Medical Center Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Taken together, the reports show a corridor that has seen repeated gunfire calls over the past few years, even as state officials have pointed to a broader citywide decline. Governor Kathy Hochul's office announced in May 2025 that shootings in Albany were down 50% compared to the previous year, though the underlying data behind that figure was not detailed in the announcement.
No arrests or suspect information have been released in connection with Wednesday's shooting near W. Van Vechten Street. Police continue to ask that anyone with information about the incident come forward through the tip lines provided.
