Schenectady man indicted in fatal September shooting

PHOTOGRAPHER: Steven Cook

A city man was indicted this morning on a murder charge, accused of firing from a car and killing a man in Hamilton Hill.

Craig Thompson, 21, of Congress Street, faces one count of second-degree murder in the Sept. 13 killing of 29-year-old Hassan Rainey at the intersection of Craig Street and Duane Avenue.

Schenectady County Court Judge Karen Drago unsealed the indictment this morning. An arraignment date has not been set.

Thompson was arrested last month along with 17-year-old Kassun Brown of Mynderse Street. Both were charged then with murder, but an indictment against Brown has yet to be reported and the status of his case could not be immediately determined.

The then-16-year-old Brown is accused of driving Thompson to the encounter, speeding up to Rainey’s car so Thompson could fire. Rainey was hit once and died, despite and attempt by passers-by to revive him using CPR. A passenger in Rainey’s car was uninjured.

Authorities believe Rainey was the target, authorities have said, the result of a long-running feud between Thompson and Rainey. Schenectady County District Attorney Robert Carney characterized the relationship in February as a turf war involving at least one prior shooting.

Thompson also faces four counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, two counts of first-degree reckless endangerment and two counts of tampering with physical evidence. He is still being held at the Schenectady County jail without bail.