Edwin Reeves Jr. charged with murder in shooting death of Malik McAllister

ALBANY — The Albany Police Department has charged Edwin Reeves Jr. with murder in the July 17 shooting death of Malik Hassan McAllister, APD officials said.

Reeves was arrested Tuesday night.

McAllister, 43, was fatally wounded on the 1900 block of West Gordon Avenue. According to an APD release, witnesses at the time of the shooting told police they heard a gunshot, then saw McAllister staggering near the roadway, where he collapsed.

“McAllister, who had a gunshot wound to his abdomen, was taken to the hospital, where he later died,” Albany Police Department spokeswoman Phyllis Banks said.

At a news conference about McAllister’s death, APD Robbery/Homicide Lieutenant Keithen Hall said, “We have to stop these senseless murders. We’ve got to put the guns down and take care of each other. We have gone out and talked to people in the community about this individual. We have talked to his wife, talked to his friends about what kind of person he was and everyone we talked to said he wouldn’t hurt a fly. They say he was a good guy that was going through some troubled times, but he had a good heart and he didn’t deserve this.”

Police had been searching for Reeves since he became a suspect on July 19.

“Reeves was taken into custody at 2304 West Gordon Avenue apartment 237 around 7:30 p.m.,” said Banks. “He is in jail and has been formally charged.”

According to APD reports, Reeves has been charged with murder, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.