On a Tuesday afternoon, just a short distance from his home, 18-year-old Tyshawn Q. Daniels was shot and killed in Cohoes, New York. The incident occurred on June 30, 2020, at the corner of Lansing and Schuyler streets. Daniels was shot twice in the chest around 2:15 p.m. and succumbed to his injuries on the operating table at Albany Medical Center Hospital nearly two hours later.
He was a recent graduate of Cohoes High School, where he was a member of the class of 2019 and played on the basketball team.
In the wake of the shooting, a street memorial quickly grew at the scene, with friends and community members leaving mementos, including his Cohoes High School basketball jersey. Investigators began going door-to-door, seeking any information that could lead to the individuals responsible for Tyshawn's death. Acting Police Chief Tom Ross indicated that detectives were searching for at least two males, a shooter and a driver, who may have been involved in the homicide. While the motive was not believed to be gang-related, authorities were exploring possible connections to Troy, where Daniels and his family had briefly resided before returning to Cohoes.
The investigation into Tyshawn's death led to the arraignment of two men on felony weapons charges in connection with the shooting. Joseph Evans, 20, and an 18-year-old co-defendant, whose name was withheld due to his age at the time of the incident, pleaded not guilty to second-degree possession of a weapon. Despite these arrests, the killing of Tyshawn Daniels officially remains unsolved. The Albany County District Attorney's office stated that an investigation uncovered the involvement of the two individuals on the illegal weapons possession charges, but no further charges were expected at that time.
