The victim of an alleged sword attack at a homeless shelter in Albany is identified in court papers as Jon Romano, the man who was convicted of shooting a teacher at Columbia High School in East Greenbush in 2004 and had since got out of jail and tried to turn his life around.

Back in February, Romano spoke at a school safety conference in Saratoga County, saying he was working with sheriff deputies to help protect schools.

Fast-forward to Monday, when he was volunteering at the Capital Connections Drop-In Center on Sheridan Avenue in Albany and was allegedly attacked by 42-year-old Randell Mason, according to police.

Romano was struck multiple times with a sword in the head and body, causing him to lose blood.

He was in critical condition on Monday following a weekend of violence in the Capital Region in which several people were shot, including a 14-year-old who was killed in Troy, according to police.

Officers responding to the Capital Connections Drop-In Center on Sheridan Avenue in Albany said they found a 34-year-old man with severe lacerations and blood loss at around 1:45 p.m. Monday.

He was treated and taken to Albany Medical Center, where he remained in critical condition Monday evening, police said. A suspect in the case, Randell Mason, 42, was arrested while walking nearby, police said. He is accused of striking the victim with the sword several times while inside the building. Mason is charged with second-degree attempted murder, police said.

Over the weekend, a shooting in Troy left a 14-year-old dead, while six people were shot in Albany.

It was late Saturday night that neighbors on 6th Avenue in Lansingburgh heard shots ring out. Police said they received reports of the shooting shortly before 11:30 p.m.

The victim's sister identified the teenager as Zacai James. James was rushed to the hospital by responders, but was later pronounced dead by doctors, police said.

The news devastated the family and the community, and spoke to a larger issue in the area.

“I don’t know what else to say. I’m just kind of devastated,” said Beverly, a next-door neighbor who identified herself only by her first name. “The Troy area is bad, really bad. My kids won’t come. They don’t want to come see me. My grandkids won’t come.”

Detectives were still searching for the shooter, but a Troy Police Department spokesperson said he believed the shooting was a targeted incident.

Residents said the police presence has been underwhelming in their neighborhood.

“No, we never saw the cops until this happened. And now, I see them go by all the time in their cars,” Beverly said. “I suppose they're told to do it, you know, go back and forth and check on what’s going on.”

James was entering ninth grade this fall, according to his sister. While she declined to comment on camera, she said the teen was a good kid who always went to school and loved everyone.

Troy police are looking for leads and asks anyone who might have information to reach out immediately.

Albany police were investigating a shooting that injured six people on Hamilton and Ontario streets.

Around 3 a.m. Sunday, officers said they responded to a call about a "large unruly crowd" on Hudson Avenue, a block away, when they heard gunshots.

When police arrived, they found four men and one woman injured at the scene. They were taken to Albany Medical Center; a 20-year-old man and 29-year-old man were in critical condition.

Investigators said a 17-year-old girl who left the scene reported to Schenectady police that she had also been shot, suffering non-life-threatening injuries.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact Albany police.