25, 2023
Updated: May 25, 2023 5:15 p.m.
An Albany police cruiser is stationed outside 378 Livingston Ave. on Tuesday, May 9, 2023, in Albany, NY. Kobe Armstrong, 17, died in a shooting that police are now investigating as a possible homicide.
An Albany police cruiser is stationed outside 378 Livingston Ave. on Tuesday, May 9, 2023, in Albany, NY. Kobe Armstrong, 17, died in a shooting that police are now investigating as a possible homicide.
Jim Franco/Times Union
ALBANY – The death of an 11th-grader earlier this month is being investigated as a homicide, the seventh in the city this year.
Police Chief Eric Hawkins confirmed the May 8 shooting of Kobe Armstrong, 17, was being treated as a suspicious death, despite an inconclusive autopsy report.
The department had previously referred to its inquiry as a death investigation.
Hawkins said Armstrong suffered two gunshot wounds, including one to his head. But a medical examiner’s autopsy could not definitively say whether the shot that killed Armstrong was self-inflicted.
“It’s inconclusive right now as to the cause of death,” he said. “At this point we’re going to investigate it as a homicide.”
Police were called to 378 Livingston Ave. the afternoon of May 8 for a reported shooting. Hawkins said they received multiple calls for a suicide at that location. During the investigation, officers began to question what happened, the police chief said.
Hawkins acknowledged it was improbable that Armstrong had shot himself twice but added the department had seen previous suicides where that had occurred.
Armstrong’s family could not be reached for comment. His grandmother told the Times Union last week she needed his mother’s permission before speaking about her grandson.
Armstrong attended the Tony Clemente Center for Education. He was set to graduate next June. The school released a brief statement the day after Armstrong’s death saying it was providing support services to students and staff. A district spokesman declined to comment further on Thursday, citing the open investigation.
Hawkins said six of the city’s homicide investigations this year have involved people who lived together or were connected through a domestic relationship.
The department’s investigation into Armstrong’s death is focusing on people who were inside the home with him at the time, Hawkins said.
“There are no outside suspects with this investigation,” he said.
An obituary published last week described Armstrong as, “an amazing, loving brother, uncle and son” who was very protective of his mother.
The teen loved music, bowling, soccer and track but his passion was basketball, according to his obituary.
Armstrong was also an emerging rapper, recording under the name Lil CKapp. He began performing in his living room when he was just
8 years old under the name “50 Poops,” according to his obituary.
“Kobe was born with talent and a heart of gold, and he loved his family and friends,” the obituary reads. “He had so much respect for others. He was very affectionate and always encouraging to others. Kobe was definitely one of a kind.”
Likes: 
Albany Teenaper Aspiring Crapper Kobe Deleted
Reply With Quote
