Albany County District Attorney Lee C. Kindlon announced today that a 37-year-old Albany man who fired a handgun during a shootout on a city street has been sentenced to a state-prison term.

The Honorable Andra Ackerman sentenced Kareem Alston to serve seven years in state prison followed by five years of post-release supervision after having pled guilty to Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree.

On June 24, 2020, at approximately 8:12 p.m., Albany Police received reports of a man shooting at individuals standing in the area of Ontario Street and Third Street. No injuries were reported during the incident.

Detectives from APD’s Criminal Investigation Unit investigated the shooting and arrested Alston later that night.

Alston failed to appear for a court appearance and fled the state to avoid prosecution. On Nov. 27, 2023, Alston was found with a handgun and arrested in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, by the U.S. Marshals Task Force. The Office of U.S. Attorneys prosecuted Alston and he was sentenced to time in federal prison.

On Nov. 14, 2025, investigators with the Albany County District Attorney’s Office flew to the Federal Correctional Institution in Hazelton, W.Va., and returned Alston for prosecution in Albany County Court.

Before sentencing Wednesday, Alston, who was determined to be a predicate felon, told the judge that he believed his sentence was too harsh. He said that on the night of the shooting he had been called to the area by his sister because an individual was threatening her, and that he fired his weapon only in self-defense.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Joseph Brucato, Bureau Chief of the Major Crimes Unit.