LOOKING BACK ON 2020

The Record editorial staff pick top 10 stories from last year

RENSSELAER AND ALBANY COUNTY, N.Y. » This past year was filled with many unexpected twists and turns due to the Novel Coronavirus creating a global pandemic.

The Capital Region began seeing its first cases in March and from then on, the cases continued to rise and things began to rapidly change throughout the state.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo ended up putting the state on “Pause” and many people began working and learning from home.

Even though the year was dominated and impacted by the pandemic, many other newsworthy stories occurred in 2020.

With the year coming to an end, the editorial staff at The Record ranked its top 10 stories from 2020.

1. 11-year-old Ayshawn Davis homicide

The Collar City and Capital Region community was rocked on Sept. 14 with the homicide of 11-year- old Ayshawn Davis.

Troy police were called to the scene of a shooting that occurred in the area of 2266 Old 6th Ave. Officers were dispatched to this area at around 11:40 p.m. Upon arrival, officers found Davis, a student in the Lansingburgh school district, with a gunshot wound to the head.

Troy Fire Department personnel arrived and began treating the victim and then transported him to Albany Medical Center Hospital, where he succumbed to the injury.

Officers, detectives, and evidence technicians secured the scene and began processing evidence and speaking with neighbors and others in the area. The events leading up to the shooting are as follows, the victim was standing in the area of the shooting with a group and a car sped by with gunfire coming from the vehicle.

The vehicle continued north on Old 6th Avenue and fled the area, according to city police.

The public came together to find ways to keep Ayshawn’s memory alive and to help his family.

The Ayshawn Davis Memorial Fund was established in September to raise funds for the Davis family.

The fund will support family expenses for the Davis family, in addition to helping to cover future college costs for their four children.

The Troy City Council unanimously passed (7- 0)

MELISSA SCHUMAN - MEDIANEWS GROUP FILE A horse-drawn carriage waits to lead the funeral procession for Ayshawn Davis.

MELISSA SCHUMAN — MEDIANEWS GROUP FILE Protesters kneel and stop traffic at the River Street and 3rd Avenue intersection during a Black Lives Matter protest in Troy.