SCHENECTADY — It was a hot day last August and business at USA Wine and Liquor was slow, so the clerk, Boodranie Samssondar, stepped outside, heading next door for some relief.

Samssondar, 49, kept an eye on the door, but no one came in. When she returned, she noticed a crowd gathering on the Hulett Street side of the liquor store. They were making noise and she went to return to her counter.

"As I stepped into the store, I felt a burn on my feet," the Guyana native testified this morning in Schenectady County Court. "I heard a gunshot."

A shootout had erupted outside the store and a bullet grazed her leg. She was one of two bystanders injured in the Aug. 6, 2007, shooting. Neither was injured seriously.

"I was not paying attention more," she said later in her testimony, fighting back tears. "I felt scared."

Accused of shooting the women while aiming at another man are Charles Ardrey, 21, and Joel Hernandez, 28. They face charges of attempted murder, assault and other counts.

They are accused of opening fire at Hulett and Albany streets just after 5 p.m. Their alleged target was rival Diondrea McCaskill, 27. But they missed him and hit the two women, prosecutor Amy Burock told the Schenectady County Court jury in opening statements last week.

Hernandez and Ardrey are standing trial simultaneously. McCaskill was also indicted on similar charges but is expected to be tried separately.

Also hit that day was Tasha Coleman, 36. She testified she was on Hulett Street that day to buy cocaine from someone in the group that included the alleged target of the shooting when the gunfight broke out.

"Everyone ran," Coleman testified. "The gunshots were coming fast."

The prosecution could conclude its case as early as this afternoon. Closing statements could come by Thursday morning.