Art festival shooting leaves gunman dead, 22 injured
N.J. police say two men fired into crowd, sparking stampede
One gunman was killed and 22 people were injured early Sunday after two men opened fire and triggered a stampede at an all-night arts festival in Trenton, New Jersey, authorities said.
Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo Onofri said one of the suspects, a 33-year-old man, died after apparently being shot by police.
The other suspect, who wasn’t yet identified, was in police custody.
The shooting at the Art All Night Festival erupted about 2:45 a.m. and is still under investigation. Officials said the motive was unclear.
The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is assisting state police with the investigation.
Onofri said 17 of those injured had gunshot wounds. One of the most seriously injured victims was a 13-year-old boy, he said.
“He is in extremely critical condition,” Onofri said. “It absolutely could have been worse given the confined space and the number of shots that appear to have been fired.”
About 1,000 people attended the festival at the historic Roebling Wire Works building, which didn’t have metal detectors at the doors.
“All shootings, whether larger or small, are a crisis,” Trenton Mayor Eric Jackson said. “This isn’t just a random act of violence. This is a public health issue.”
The remainder of the festival Sunday was canceled.
Giancarla Macaluso of Ewing, New Jersey, a volunteer at the event who left two hours before the shooting began, said many of her friends were still there. One friend is a nurse who helped after the shooting, she said.
“He said that (the gunmen) came in the entrance and just started to shoot – bullets and blood went everywhere,” Macaluso said.
“I don’t know what prompted this – it’s just crazy. There is so much good in this city, but I guess there is an element of craziness. It’s such a shame. It makes me sad and angry.”
Onofri said police are investigating a possible attempted carjacking in an alley outside the festival after the shooting, when a man might have pointed a gun at a car carrying three people. The car was damaged in the incident, he said.
Contributing: Cheryl Makin, Bridgewater Courier News; East Brunswick Home News Tribune; Associated Press