‘GUNZ’ POINTED AT COPS
TRENTON — Aaron Carter, who was shot by a Trenton police detective last June after pointing a gun at police officers, was indicted by a Mercer grand jury on assault and weapons charges, officials said Wednesday.
Carter, 33, also known as GUNZ, was involved in an encounter with police on June 25 after officers allegedly saw him involved in a drug deal on a side street near the 600 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
Carter, of East State Street, fled the scene and, while running, aimed what appeared to be a gun at the pursuing officer. Detective Travis Maxwell fired his service weapon at the suspect in self-defense.
It was later discovered that Carter allegedly has two loaded handguns, which were recovered at the scene.
Area video surveillance 30 minutes before the incident allegedly shows Carter with a gun in his waistband.
An investigation by the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office and the Trenton Police Department determined that Maxwell was justified in shooting the suspect, said Casey Deblasio, spokeswoman for Prosecutor Joseph L. Bocchini.
The officer did not use excessive force, she said.
The suspect survived his wounds. His prior runins with police include convictions for selling drugs on school property. Carter was charged with third-degree aggravated assault on a police officer and several weapons offenses. He was being held in the county jail on $150,000 bail.