ALBANY, N.Y. — Police in New York's capital city have been busy with an uncharacteristic string of homicides, and two of the killings remain unsolved.
Over the weekend, Christopher Hardy was shot and killed in his car near the corner of First Street and Quail Avenue. No arrests have been made in the homicide, but Acting Police Chief Robert Sears says Hardy was targeted.
"This was not a random act," Sears said.
He also shared that a February homicide, committed inside a Clinton Avenue apartment, was a similarly targeted crime.
Police detectives continue to work both cases. Sears said on Wednesday that he is optimistic he'll have more to share on the February killing soon.
Going back to a November 2016 bludgeoning at the South Mall Tower apartments, Albany has seen five homicides over a five-month period. That includes a shooting around Thanksgiving at Rocks nightclub, and the January death of an infant that was later ruled abuse and homicide.
Previous to the November case, Albany had gone 14 straight months without a single killing — which makes the recent spate all the more disquieting for the city.
"They're all very unique," Sears said Wednesday. "We talk afterwards about what we could have done, how we could have seen the signs before these turned into deaths.
"We try to stay ahead of those as best we can," Sears insisted, "but sometimes we just can't be everywhere."
The acting chief adds that, with the summer months approaching, department leaders are strategizing where best to place police officers to deter and combat all types of crime.