In the early evening of May 21, 2021, Lashon J. Turner, a 39-year-old male, was shot on Central Avenue near Henry Johnson Boulevard in Albany, New York. First responders arrived at the scene to find Mr. Turner with a gunshot wound to his torso. He received immediate medical treatment and was then transported to Albany Medical Center Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
A native of Albany, he was known to his friends and family as 'Shock' or 'Shocka' and was a father of five.
The Albany Police Department's Criminal Investigation Unit launched an investigation that quickly led to a suspect. On May 25, 2021, just four days after the shooting, police arrested 33-year-old Natural Wise Joseph of Colonie. At the time of his arrest, Joseph was also found to be in possession of cocaine.
Following his arrest, Natural Wise Joseph was charged with second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon. An Albany County grand jury subsequently indicted him for the intentional killing of Lashon Turner. In May 2022, Joseph pleaded guilty to the murder. He was later sentenced to a prison term of 18 years to life and is serving his sentence at the Auburn Correctional Facility, a maximum-security prison.
