Albany man admits to deadly Thanksgiving shooting of Troy man

ALBANY, N.Y. » An Albany man admitted Thursday morning to gunning down a Troy resident inside an Albany bar early on Thanksgiving Day last year.

The Albany County District Attorney’s Office said Kareem Blacknall, 31, pleaded guilty in state Supreme Court to a felony count of first-degree manslaughter in the death of Wendell Hill, 26, of Troy, inside Rocks, a nightclub on Central Avenue. In return for his plea, the DA’s office said Blacknall is expected to be sentenced Dec. 7 by Judge Thomas Breslin to as much as 25 years in prison, followed by five years of post-release supervision.

Authorities said Hill was gunned down about 2 a.m. Nov. 24, while three other people were wounded as they stood near Hill, though none sustained life-threatening injuries. Police said at the time that Hill and Blacknall knew each other and that Hill was the intended target.

Blacknall was initially indicted on charges of seconddegree murder, second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and first-degree reckless endangerment and was also charged with thirddegree attempted escape after he tried to flee from a police car near South Pearl and Herkimer streets after being taken into custody Dec. 2 in an unreleated case.