RENSSELAER, New York — Police arrested Akili-Abdul Duncan, a 53-year-old Albany resident, on March 20, 2025, for wielding a .380 caliber pistol during a domestic incident last December, according to a Rensselaer City Police Department release posted 38 minutes ago at 8:53 a.m. PDT on March 21. The Rensselaer teacher arrested in New York, a technology instructor at Farnsworth Middle School in Guilderland, lacked a required state pistol permit.
The arrest followed a separate bust by Guilderland police on March 19 for similar but unrelated charges. In Rensselaer, Duncan faces criminal possession of a firearm (Class E felony) and criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree (A misdemeanor) tied to the December event. After his arraignment by Judge Dukes, the Rensselaer teacher arrested in New York was sent to Rensselaer County Jail with bail set at $5,000 cash, $50,000 insurance bond, or $50,000 partially secured surety bond. Tips are welcomed at 518-462-7451.
Multiple agencies, including the New York State Police and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, aided the case, which remains active. In January, a Troy teacher faced weapons charges, per timesunion.com, though it’s unconnected to Duncan.
