Albany County District Attorney Lee C. Kindlon announced today that a Troy man has been sentenced to 21 years in prison for his role in a drive-by shooting that took the life of Javon Ward.
Paul Smith, 22, was sentenced as a violent predicate felon to a 21-year determinate state prison term in front of the Honorable Thomas Marcelle Monday. Smith, who pleaded guilty to one count of Manslaughter in the First Degree, will also face five years of post-release supervision.
Smith and his codefendant, Daquan Arrington, 25, fired off 19 shots from inside a car on June 5, 2024, around 1:45 a.m. in the area of Second and Quail streets in Albany. Ward, 30, was shot in the back and died at Albany Medical Center. A 46-year-old woman was hit in the leg and a 14-year-old was grazed in the arm.
“The emotions that we saw in court today are exactly why we must recommit to ending the circle of violence in Albany,” DA Kindlon said. “I don’t want another family to hurt like the Ward family is hurting today.”
Ward’s father, Joseph Ward, spoke poignantly about his loss.
“I don’t come here with hatred for you guys, but you took a wrong turn in your life, and you took a great guy from me … and you’re going to meet him one day, maybe God needed him right now,” Ward said. “You hurt a lot of families, not just ours but your own. And you’re going to have a lot of time to think about this.”
Javon Ward’s cousin described Ward as a man who served as a father to all the kids in his family.
“He enjoyed being a father, and oh how it looked so good on him,” she said.
Assistant District Attorney Ryan Carty, who prosecuted the case, said neither defendant has shown remorse in the wake of their actions, which included verbally taunting family members during today’s proceedings.
“The court has heard four victims impact statements from the family, and the theme from all four of those statements is forgiveness,” Carty said. “And forgiveness is something that is earned and something that is warranted. And that’s not something that these two defendants have earned yet. They sit here in this courtroom without any remorse, as evidenced by their actions in the courtroom today.”
Before Marcelle sentenced Arrington, Public Defender Timothy Berry began speaking about parallels between the violence in Albany and violence in other parts of the country and the Middle East. Judge Marcelle ordered him to stop, but he continued.
“Violence abroad brings violence at home,” Berry said.
Marcelle said Berry was in contempt of court and ordered him removed from the courtroom. A contempt hearing was ordered, a new sentencing date for Arrington will be set at a later date.
