Trenton shooting kills 2, wounds 8 at large street gathering

No arrests made as investigators seek witnesses to the shooting

Two people were killed and eight others were wounded in a shooting that erupted early Sunday during what officials called “a large unauthorized adult gathering” in Trenton, New Jersey. The Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office said police responded to the 100 block of Locust Street at about 12:33 a.m. EDT after receiving reports of multiple shots fired and arrived to find 10 people struck by gunfire. Officials initially reported 11 people shot. No arrests appeared to have been made as of late Sunday.

The prosecutor’s office identified the two dead victims as a 33-year-old woman and a 42-year-old man and said their identities were being withheld. The eight other gunshot victims — two women and six men ranging in age from 23 to 43 — were treated for their injuries at Capital Health Regional Medical Center and have been stabilized, according to the prosecutor’s office.

Little information about the cause of the shooting has been made public. The prosecutor’s office said it occurred as an estimated 100 people were on the street, while Trenton Mayor W. Reed Gusciora said it was a gathering of 200 people or more. Authorities said more than 50 spent shell casings were located at the scene and that multiple cars were struck by gunfire.

Gusciora said the man killed “had been working to turn his life around after returning home from incarceration and had recently been recognized for his commitment to re-entry and positive change.” In a statement, he said: “My heart goes out to the families of the two people whose lives were taken, to everyone who was wounded and to the residents of the Wilbur Section who awoke this morning to another painful reminder of the consequences of gun violence.” He added: “One of the things that makes an incident like this particularly painful is that people’s lives are often far more complicated than a police report can capture.”

Authorities said someone in attendance must have seen what occurred and called on those with information about the shooting to come forward. “Protecting someone responsible for taking a life only puts another neighborhood at risk,” Gusciora said.

The mayor said city officials will seek to crack down on large, unauthorized gatherings and are examining strategies used by other cities to prevent further incidents. Police will immediately engage community partners in the Wilbur Section and talk to residents to “prevent retaliation or additional violence,” he said, adding that a gathering of the size seen overnight creates serious safety concerns for those in attendance and residents of the surrounding area. “This is not about criminalizing people for gathering together. It is about recognizing the difference between a gathering and hundreds of people occupying a residential street without authorization, particularly when firearms and violence become part of that environment,” Gusciora said.

New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill said she has been briefed on the shooting. “My attorney general remains in close contact with officials on the ground,” she said in an online statement. “I’m thinking of the families who lost loved ones, those who were injured and the Trenton community.”

The shooting is being investigated by the Mercer County Homicide Task Force and the Trenton Police Department. According to The Gun Violence Archive, there have been at least 317 mass shootings involving four or more victims so far this year.