A Schenectady man was convicted of manslaughter in a July 2022 shooting death, but acquitted of the top murder count.

Markeith Buchanan, 25, was on trial for shooting and killing John Bass, 24, at the Vibez Bar and Lounge on State Street in Schenectady.

Buchanan was with his cousin, Tasheem Haggray, and two female friends celebrating his cousin’s release from prison. He was not able to enter the bar because of lack of identification.

Bass was outside the bar and got into a verbal fight with Bass about longstanding issues between the two, who have known each other since middle school.

Then the argument turned physical, and Bass punched Buchanan twice and then Bass stomped, kicked and repeatedly punched Buchanan in the head, prosecutors said.

After he was able to get up, Buchanan went to his car, got a gun and went back to Bass. Bass initially approached and then started to turn around about three to six feet away from him when Buchanan fired his gun.

The bullet struck Bass in the arm, cutting his aorta artery and killing him.

Buchanan left the scene in a car and spent the next two months attempting to evade police by staying in motels in various counties. He also threw the gun in the river.

Police eventually caught him on Sept. 20, 2022, with the help of U.S. Marshals and a security camera.

Buchanan had claimed self-defense.

The jury found that Buchanan was not justified in his actions, but had only intended to harm Bass and not kill him.

Buchanan was also convicted of two counts of criminal possession of a weapon.

Buchanan is scheduled to be sentenced on April 30. Because this is his second felony conviction, he faces eight to 25 years in prison for manslaughter and five and 15 years on each weapons charge, which may run consecutively to the manslaughter charge.