ALBANY, N.Y. -- A jury has found Tasheem Maeweather not guilty of three charges against him, but guilty of a fourth, in connection with the shooting that occurred in Crossgates Mall last November.
Maeweather was found not guilty of attempted murder, attempted assault or criminal possession of a weapon, but guilty of reckless endangerment.
Jury deliberations began just after 2 p.m. Thursday following closing arguments, and resumed deliberations this morning.
Maeweather is already sentenced to 9 years in prison because he was on probation for a drug charge from 2015 when he arrested for the mall shooting. Maeweather was arrested and charged two days after the incident. No one was seriously injured in the shooting, but the mall was closed for the rest of that day.
Assistant District Attorney Steven Sharp used surveillance video, witness accounts and the presence of blood in the mall to try and convince the jury Maeweather was the only person who could have fired a gun that day in front of the Apple Store. His case centered on an eye witness account from off-duty New York State Trooper Ian DeGiovine, who says he saw Maeweather fire a gun.
"People have a hard time believing people these days. They want somebody tangible. They want to be there. They want to see it on video," said Sharp.
But Crossgates Mall security cameras pan, tilt and zoom. Seconds before a punch was thrown and two shots were fired, the camera swiveled in the other direction. Defense Attorney Lee Kindlon focused his summation on pointing out what he believed were holes in the prosecution's case. His biggest argument was that Trooper DeGiovine was mistaken about what he saw.
"My client did not commit these acts, and the people, at the end of the day, couldn't prove their case," said Kindlon.
Though it's not the outcome he hoped for, Sharp isn't entirely disappointed with the verdict.
"I mean, at the end of the day with a tough case, the jury held him responsible for what happened in the mall that day on a reckless endangerment count," said Sharp.
Maeweather could face 3 1/2 to 7 years when he's sentenced June 23.