In the late hours of an October evening in Schenectady, New York, 15-year-old Dubar T. Knowles, a male, was at a house party on Congress Street. The gathering, filled with teenagers and young adults, took a tragic turn when gunfire erupted. Responding to multiple reports of shots fired around 11:20 p.m. on October 12, 2024, police arrived to a chaotic scene with a large crowd fleeing the residence. In the backyard, they discovered Dubar with a gunshot wound to his torso.
He was rushed to a nearby hospital but was pronounced dead on October 13, 2024.
The violence of that night also left another victim, a 13-year-old girl who was found on a nearby street with a gunshot wound to her head and neck area. She was also transported to the hospital and underwent surgery. Investigators later determined that the same bullet that killed Dubar had passed through him and struck the young girl. The incident sent shockwaves through the community, particularly at Schenectady High School where Dubar was a freshman and described as an amazing athlete who enjoyed basketball and football.
The investigation into Dubar's death led to the arrest of a 16-year-old male, identified by the authorities only by the initials D.S. due to his age. He was taken into custody in January 2025 and subsequently indicted on a seven-count indictment that included charges of second-degree murder, assault, criminal possession of a weapon, reckless endangerment, and tampering with physical evidence. At the time of his arrest for the murder, the suspect was reportedly on interim probation for a prior weapons offense.
The Schenectady County District Attorney's Office stated that the shooting occurred amidst feuds and arguments among some of the party attendees, with some individuals reportedly being armed. The case against the teenage suspect was arraigned in the youth part of Schenectady Family Court, and he was sent to a secure juvenile detention facility. The District Attorney's office has indicated their intention to prosecute the alleged shooter as an adult. This tragedy was compounded by the fact that Dubar's older sister, Medina Knowles, had also been a victim of gun violence in Schenectady in 2016.
