Albany County District Attorney Lee C. Kindlon announced today that a jury found a 26-year-old Rensselaer woman guilty for an August 2025 shooting that nearly claimed the life of a young woman.

A jury found Celanna Smith guilty of Attempted Murder, Assault in the First Degree, and Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree after a four-day trial in front of the Honorable Andra Ackerman.

On Aug. 13 just before 12:45 a.m., Albany Police responded to 22 Albany St. for reports of a shooting. A short time after, they received word from Albany Memorial Hospital staff that a 24-year-old female was brought to the emergency room with a gunshot wound from a bullet that had entered her lower back, punctured a lung, lacerated her liver and lodged itself next to her appendix.

She was transferred to Albany Medical Center, where she underwent emergency, life-saving procedures.

Smith was arrested Sept. 18 when Albany Police executed a search warrant at a residence on Third Street in Rensselaer.

During the trial, Assistant District Attorney Ryan Carty, who tried the case with trial assistant Katelyn Kaczkowski, called on 13 witnesses and played cellphone video footage from that night that showed a confrontation between Smith and her friends and a group of people.

Several people can be seen arguing when the fight turned physical and a car window was broken. Smith ran toward the car. While the video blurs and fades to black, audio continued to record and caught one of Smith’s friends urging her to “blick” and "shoot" the women.

A single gunshot rang out as a bullet entered the trunk of a car and struck a female sitting in the backseat.

Smith took the stand and denied firing a gun. She stated that she was sitting in the backseat of her friend's car and had no idea that anyone was shot that evening. Meanwhile, her text messages sent to her friends after the incident contradicted that testimony. 

Judge Ackerman set sentencing for the defendant on July 13 at 1 p.m.