Gunfire erupts at N.J. arts festival

Gunmen opened fire at an all-night arts and music festival early Sunday morning in Trenton, N.J., sending people running over each other in the scramble to safety, authorities said. One suspect was killed and

22 people, including two suspects, were injured.

Of 17 people treated for gunshot wounds, four of them, including a 13-yearold boy, were critically injured, but three had been upgraded to stable by evening, leaving only one man believed to be a suspect in critical condition, Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo Onofri said.

The shots rang out around 2:45 a.m. Sunday as an estimated 1,000 or more people were attending the Art All Night Trenton festival that showcases local art, music, food and films.

Onofri said numerous fights inside and outside had prompted police to tell organizers that the event needed to be shut down because “there was a report that the mood inside the venue had been changing.” Organizers were in the process of doing that when the shooting started, he said.

Authorities believe several neighborhood gangs had a dispute at the venue, and multiple suspects began shooting at each other, with police returning fire, Onofri said.

Tahaij Wells, 33, the suspect who was killed, had recently been released from prison and was on parole since February on homicide-related charges, Onofri said. Amir Armstrong, 23, listed in stable condition, was charged with a weapons offense.