Two wounded in Schenectady bar shooting

SCHENECTADY – When gun shots rang out at the Saw Mill Tavern it was 2:14 a.m., the place was packed, and bar patrons were forced to run for their lives.

“Once we got there we were able to determined that there was a male victim inside the bar suffering from a gunshot wound to leg,” said Schenectady Police Lt. Ryan Macherone, “The second victim was a female and had already been driven by private vehicle to a local hospital, also suffering from a gunshot wound to her foot.”

Macherone says it’s not clear at this point if the shooting was random or if victims were targeted. A bartender at the Saw Mill told News Channel 13 the folks involved in the shooting were not regulars.

“We think it’s some kind of altercation that occurred which led to the shooting, but what led up to that we’re not quite sure yet,” Macherone added.

Jermaine Peterson, who lives across the street from the bar, said he’d like to see more police in the area.

“They just need to be patrolling this area a little bit more,” Peterson says, “Just letting them know you’re giving them your presence.”

Another neighbor who declined to give her name said she intends to move out of the neighborhood as soon as she can.

“I don’t want the bar to close down completely,” the woman stated, “That’s not fair to the bar but at two o’clock there’s no reason for it to be open. That’s when the madness starts.”

Macherone says the bar is cooperating with police and they’ll be speaking with multiple witnesses as the investigation continues.

Both shooting victims are expected to fully recover.