Police ask public's help in probe of deadly Niskayuna shooting

PHOTOGRAPHER: Peter R. Barber

The scene Monday in Niskayuna, after a woman was shot.

NiSKAYUNA — Four days after a deadly shooting shocked a Niskayuna neighborhood, police are still developing leads, seeking witnesses and processing evidence.

And they are asking anyone with any information to contact them.

The incident happened around 8:20 p.m. Memorial Day at the Hillside Village West apartment complex on Hillside Avenue. A large group of people was gathered at a pavilion for a picnic when as many as eight shots rang out.

Officers responding to the scene found Ayanna C. Hunter, 21, of Schenectady, wounded and lying in a parking lot. She was taken by Niskayuna First District No. 1 paramedics to Ellis Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. No other injuries were reported.

Also see: Niskayuna shooting victim Ayanna Hunter, 21, remembered for athletic skills, love of family

As of Friday afternoon, no arrests had been made. Niskayuna police asked anyone with information to call the tip line the department has set up at (518) 386-4589, or to call the county dispatch center at (518) 630-0911.

Niskayuna police detectives and New York State Police Major Crimes Unit investigators are continuing with interviews of identified witnesses, pursuing forensic leads, and working with other local agencies to attempt to piece together the circumstances that led up to the shooting.

Assisting are the state police Forensic Investigations Unit, New York State Intelligence Center, Schenectady Police Department, and the district attorney’s and sheriff’s offices of Schenectady County.