Schenectady

Three men were hospitalized after being wounded in a wild shootout Tuesday inside a Shirley Drive apartment where authorities said marijuana may have been sold.

One of the men opened fire after getting inside the first-floor apartment and a man inside returned fire, authorities said.

Police said the intruder, Pharoah Nisby, 22, was shot four times, twice in the arm and twice in the leg. The other two men, ages 22 and 20, also were shot. As of late Tuesday, police had not released their names but all three are expected to survive, police said. All were taken to Albany Medical Center Hospital.

Police said at least six shell casings were found inside the apartment.

Just before 1:15 a.m. Tuesday, police responded to Apt. 2 of 10 Shirley Drive after several 911 calls for shots fired and one for a home invasion.

The normally quiet city street between State Street and Balltown Road in the Woodlawn neighborhood is near the Niskayuna town line and the Mohawk Commons shopping area.

Authorities said the home was a suspected spot for marijuana distribution.

Police swarmed the street during the early morning hours, using yellow police tape to cordon off part of the block.

The owner of a business said that the residence had been subdivided into at least four apartments.

A white Chevrolet sport utility vehicle parked inside the tape barrier had bullet holes but authorities said the damage was from an earlier, unrelated shooting. The SUV was towed from the scene and will be processed for evidence.

Nisby was a suspect in a February shooting. At the time, police said they wanted to question him about an incident at 1347 Crane St. in which a man was shot in the head at close range.

pnelson@timesunion.com • 518-454-5347 • @apaulnelson