Congressman demands action after Art All Night shooting
TRENTON » Last weekend’s Art All Night mass shooting prompted Republican Congressman Chris Smith of Hamilton Township to quickly weigh in on the subject of gun violence, calling upon his colleagues on Capitol Hill to take action.
“I am deeply concerned for the victims of today’s senseless gun violence at Trenton’s Art All Night event and pray for the survivors’ quick recovery,” Smith said last Sunday in a press statement. “This is another tragedy that compels policy makers at all levels including Congress to do more to end the escalating violence, including universal background checks to keep guns away from dangerous people.”
The longtime GOP congressman represents a Central New Jersey district that no longer includes Trenton. But Smith’s Fourth Congressional District still encompasses a small swath of Mercer County, which is investigating the Art All Night shooting that injured at least 22 people.
The shooting occurred about 2:45 a.m. last Sunday at a historic North Ward warehouse known as the Roebling Wire Works.
Two men have been charged in connection with the chaos and melee that led to the death of one of the gunmen. Amir Armstrong, 23, and Davone White, 26, have each been charged with weapons offenses while the third suspect, 32-year-old Tahaij Wells, was killed by police during the gun battle that sent a large crowd stampeding for safety.
Smith spoke with Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo Onofri in the immediate hours following the Art All Night gunfight, he said, adding he has offered his assistance.
U.S. Navy veteran Josh Welle, the Democratic challenger who hopes to unseat Smith in the Nov. 6 general election, said Smith is not a leader on commonsense gun control.
“Rep. Chris Smith is the fourth most senior and 435th most influential member in Washington,” Welle said in a statement. “Smith does not shape policy to keep our families safe despite the events of Columbine, Sandy Hook, Parkland, and now Trenton. We need leadership on issues that matter in 2018, not 1981. As the new congressman and as an Afghanistan veteran, I’ll lead because weapons must be kept from the hands of criminals and America’s schools need to be safe again.”