The approximate area where the shots were reported.
Kingston police responded to a report of shots fired on a residential street downtown on Monday, Feb. 24. The incident comes as the city faces a spike in violent crime that includes three unsolved homicides and multiple instances of gunplay on city streets.
According to KPD Lt. Thierry Croizer, at 12:28 a.m. on Feb. 24 police received multiple calls reporting gunshots on Walnut Street near the corner of Crane Street. Police responded to scene and checked local hospitals but were unable to locate any evidence of bullet impacts or victims. Monday’s incident is the fourth report of shots fired in the city since Feb. 11, when 31-year-old Ashton Dixon was gunned down at the Kingston Housing Authority’s Colonial Gardens housing complex. On Feb. 14, an unidentified shooter fired multiple rounds into a house at 34 St. James Street and on Feb. 16, police responded to a report of shots fired at the Kingston Housing Authority’s Rondout Gardens complex.
Last week, Kingston Police Chief Egidio Tinti said that his department had asked state police and the sheriff’s office to step up patrols in the city in response to the escalating violence. Kingston Mayor Steve Noble said the department might shift resources away from community policing efforts to investigation and patrol.