ALBANY -- A 46-year-old man was shot and killed at a Father's Day barbecue on Albany's South End Sunday.

Police said the man, who has not yet been identified, was shot after an altercation at the annual event on Clinton and Delaware streets. The barbecue was attended by dozens of friends and family, some of whom apparently came from across the country.

The investigation is still ongoing, said police, who declined to provide details about any potential suspects. Anyone with information is asked to call the Albany Police Detective Division at (518) 462-8039.

A person who said she was the victim's niece said a fight broke out between the victim's wife and another woman, after which a gun was pulled and her uncle, who was "shielding" his spouse, was shot.

"He lived by the code of marriage: 'till death do us part," said the woman, who said she arrived with food shortly after the incident and found her uncle laying on the ground.

Police said the victim was "in rough shape" when they arrived. He was pronounced dead shortly after.

Hours after the shooting, friends and family erected a makeshift memorial for the man, gathering in prayer around two candles, four black balloons and a red X spray painted on the concrete.

"He's a husband. He's a great father. He's a working man. He works for his living," the woman who said she was his niece said. "He's not a drug dealer. He's not a gangbanger. He's not a bully. He's none of that. He's a working man."

She and others said they were shocked to see the killing on their block, which has largely been spared by a spate of violence since November. After nine months without a homicide last year, Albany has seen seven slayings in eight months, with victims ranging in age from 1 to older than 60. All but one of the victims have been males.

"It's very sad," the woman said as police slowly dispersed from the street and friends wrapped up what was left of the Southern cuisine that had gone uneaten.

"It's really a gasp to everyone," she said. "For it to happen on this street — people don't do that. We don't have drama. We don't have problems. We don't go through that. It's all family."





