3 SHOT IN CITY
Spate of shootings leaves three in critical condition
TRENTON>> Doctors and nurses working in the capital city’s trauma center have had a busy 24 hours.
Early Wednesday morning, a man and a woman were shot in the head; and then later in the afternoon, another man was shot in the stomach. As of press time, all three victims were hospitalized in critical condition.
“Our doctors and nurses are doing a great job,” South Ward Councilman George Muschal said. “If it wasn’t for the trauma center, we’d have numerous homicides right now.”
So far this year, three people have been killed in Trenton. But there have been a double digit number of shootings within this 8-square-mile city in the past three months.
The man and woman who were shot Wednesday morning were ambushed by an unknown gunman. Police say the victims were sitting inside a parked car in the first block of Sweets Avenue around 4:35 a.m. when a man approached the car and fired at least six shots. Both victims suffered gunshot wounds to the head and face. They were taken to a nearby hospital for emergency surgery, but were later transported to Cooper University Hospital in Camden.
Sources who spoke on condition of anonymity believe one of the victims may lose an eye due to the shooting, and the other may be paralyzed from the waist down.
The second shooting happened a few minutes after 1 p.m. in the first block of Laurel Avenue. A 35-year-old man was shot in the stomach and rushed to the hospital for surgery. At least six crime scene placards littered the sidewalk and street where the shooting occurred.
Both shootings are in the preliminary stage of investigation, so officials could not comment on whether they were related. But sources who spoke on condition of anonymity say they’ve received information about a possible “beef” between street hustlers on Spring Street and street hustlers working throughout North Trenton, which may be one of the reasons for the recent flurry of shootings.
Retired Trenton cop Luddie Austin said that’s the type of intelligence police used to receive on a regular basis when he was working the city’s streets. But he believes cooperation between the community and law enforcement has diminished over the years possibly due to less cops being on the street as well as the negative perception of law enforcement, which has been exacerbated by national events.
“The city has become a breeding ground for crimes to flourish,” Austin, whose son was murdered in 2013, said. “I think there’s less intelligence coming from the street because of the fractured relationship between the community and local law enforcement.”
City Council President Zachary Chester said local lawmakers hope young citizens will take advantage of the mayor’s Summer Youth Employment Initiative and use that as a springboard to turnaround their lives and stay out of trouble. He said he spoke with three 17-year-olds on Wednesday afternoon who should have been in school, but were out in the streets.
Chester said he talked to the young men about staying away from drugs, registering to vote at age 18 and obtaining their GED so they could qualify for better jobs as their lives progress.
“All of this stuff goes hand-in-hand; the things kids do today affect their future,” Chester said. “The city didn’t get this way overnight and it’s going to take some time to bring all the pieces together. We as a community have to teach our young people how to make better decisions.”
Police do not have a motive for either of Wednesday’s shootings, nor do they have suspect descriptions. Anyone with information about the incidents is asked to call police at 609-989-4155.