Death investigation launched on Cherry Avenue after shooting

ALBANY — Officials with the Albany Police Department said they are conducting a death investigation after a man was found deceased from a gunshot wound Wednesday morning.

Phyllis Banks, a spokeswoman for APD, said the call came in at 8:02 a.m. Wednesday. The caller reported seeing the victim face down in a backyard on the 600 block of Cherry Avenue.

Banks initially said the victim was a black male, late-teens-to-early-20s who was deceased from a gunshot wound. The victim was later identified as Kawoski Antonio Newberry, 20.

No further information was immediately available, but this latest shooting — coming on the heels of the weekend shooting death of a 17-year-old female victim — has sparked some Albany officials to call a special meeting Thursday with Albany Police Chief Michael Persley. Many in the community expressed concern after individuals identifying themselves as gang members reportedly put up a Facebook post promising retaliation. The post was reportedly taken down shortly after it appeared on the social media site.

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