Efforts to stop violence in Albany following homicide
ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — Deandre Morrison was affectionately nicknamed "Nose” by loved ones. When saying goodbye to friends and family he'd tell them, "everything need, we got".
What they don't have now is Dandre. At 12:45 AM on June 25th, he was gunned down on the corner of Myrtle Avenue & Phillip Street. Morrison was 28. Albany Police officials say there are no updates on his murder.
This was one of ten homicides that occurred in the city of Albany this year. That number fueled a frustrated pessimism with a loved one of Morrison's who didn't want to be interviewed on camera. She passionately told NEWS10 that the south end has been violent since she was a child and things won't change. Almost all Morrison's loved ones gathered at this memorial said the South End is being neglected by city leaders.
Albany police investigating two homicides
One community activist echoing their sentiments is Pastor Charlie Muller. The clergyman whose Victory Church is located on the similarly rough Quail Street, said police haven't done enough.
“Sometimes it's frustrating when you have to fight City Hall to get something done but it's time for a change and it's time that the community is heard” Pastor Charlie told us.
He’s offering up a $5,000 reward for answers on Morrison's murder or another that occurred on Hamilton Street this past Sunday.
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"Anybody who steps forward whether it's one of our teenagers shot and they have information, and it leads to an arrest and conviction, and definitely that's what the reward’s for" he added.
Muller says it's time for community leaders to stop new initiatives and follow through on ones already in place to stop crime. Accordingly, he wants to utilize his congregation for community outreach.
“We want to do our part this summer we're actually turning our church on Quail Street here into a community center, an Outreach Center. We want to reach out from this facility and do more” the faith leader said.
We informed Morrison's family of the Pastor's reward and they're hopeful it can lead to new information on the case. We reached out to Mayor Sheehan's office for comment on the community's frustrations but weren't able to reach anyone for comment.
If you have any information about murders like Deandre's you're asked to call Albany police.