In the early morning hours of August 2, 2022, a burst of violence in Albany's West Hill neighborhood abruptly ended the life of Kareem Collier, a 36-year-old man. The incident unfolded at approximately 2:15 a.m. at a location off Central Avenue with a rear entrance on Sherman Street. First responders found Collier at the scene with a fatal gunshot wound to his torso, and he was pronounced dead.
The shooting that claimed Collier's life was part of a violent night in the city; less than an hour earlier, a separate shooting nearby had left five other people wounded, though their injuries were not life-threatening. Police initially investigated whether the two events were connected.
For several months, the investigation into Collier's death continued without a publicly named suspect. Then, in January 2023, authorities announced a significant development with the arrest of Sadiem Wood. Wood, then 34, was indicted by a grand jury and arraigned on multiple felony charges, including second-degree murder, two counts of criminal possession of a weapon, and tampering with physical evidence. The indictment alleged that Wood shot and killed Collier with a. 380 handgun and then attempted to alter or destroy the weapon. At the time of his arrest, Wood was already known to law enforcement, having a prior conviction for killing a man in 2009, for which he had pleaded guilty to manslaughter and served time in prison.
Facing the possibility of a life sentence for the murder of Kareem Collier, Sadiem Wood ultimately accepted a plea deal. In March 2024, Wood, then 35, pleaded guilty to the reduced charge of second-degree manslaughter, admitting that he recklessly caused Collier's death. This plea was part of an agreement that spared him a murder trial and a potential sentence of 25 years to life. On June 4, 2024, a judge sentenced Wood to an indeterminate prison term of 7½ to 15 years, marking the second time he would be incarcerated for taking a life.
