Erick D. Crawford, 38, of Kingston, was fatally shot yesterday at about 1:25 p.m. at the intersection of Liberty Street and Broadway.
The shooting is the fifth in Kingston since February 27, and the first homicide.
Crawford died at 3:52 p.m. at HealthAlliance Hospital’s Broadway Campus. Detective Lieutenant Thierry Croizer said he was struck twice by gunfire by one shooter.
“We’ve been working hard on this investigation,” said Croizer. “It’s been nonstop since yesterday and all day today.”
The City of Kingston Police Department is being assisted in the investigation by the New York State police, Ulster County Sheriff’s office, the Ulster County District Attorney and the Town of Ulster Police.
Anyone has any information regarding the case is asked to call the City of Kingston Police Department at 845-331-1671. All calls are confidential.
Kingston Common Council calls for a safer city
Following the shooting on Sunday, members of the Kingston Common Council submitted an open letter addressed to Mayor Steve Noble asking for a safer city. It states that the city “must be clear about the problems we face in order to develop future approaches to making Kingston safe for all.” The letter stated that a “truly safe community requires clear and empathetic communication between city residents, elected representatives, and police officers and officials.”
The call to action asked Noble to “clearly denounce the illegal drug trade and violence of all types,” “work closely with the Common Council to engage in true community development of effective and widely supported safety practices,” and “develop a full articulated plan that includes 1) clearly defined benchmarks for demonstrating progress and 2) specific dates for reaching them.”
The letter was signed by Aldermen Jeffrey Ventura Morell, Doug Koop, Reynolds Scott-Childress, Rita Worthington, Tony Davis, Steve Schabot and Aldperson-at-large Andrea Schaut.
On March 17, Raymond D. Robinson, 19, accidently shot himself at 358 Broadway and later died after being transported to the MidHudson Regional Hospital in Poughkeepsie. On March 10, a 31-year-old Kingston man was shot in the arm on the porch of 79 Elmendorf Street. On March 1, shots were fired in the parking lot that runs alongside the CSX railroad tracks between Smith Avenue and Railroad Avenue. On February 27 shots were fired between Broadway and Belvedere Street.
This article was updated March 23 to include the name of the victim following police identification.
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