20 wounded one dead after shooting at Trenton Art All Night event

Guest

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Twenty people were wounded after gunfire erupted at a New Jersey art event, according to police.

Police in Trenton said that multiple people opened fire at the Art All Night party before 3 a.m. Sunday morning, including a 33-year-old suspected shooter who was pronounced dead.

A 13-year-old boy was the youngest victim, reported in extremely critical condition.

Trenton resident Angelo Nicolo told WPVI that “all hell broke loose” after sounds that he first thought were fireworks.

Police found multiple weapons at the scene of the festival, which went on for 24-hours but was ended after the violence.

“We’re very shocked. We’re deeply saddened. Our hearts ache and our eyes are blurry but our dedication and resolve to building a better Trenton through community, creativity and inspiration will never fade. Not tonight. Not ever,” Art All Night said on Facebook.

It said that none of its staff, volunteers, artists or musicians had been wounded.

Tens of thousands of people were expected to attend the event throughout its day-long run, though it was not clear how many people were there at the time of the shooting.

Guest

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Twenty-two people were wounded early Sunday - 17 from gunshots - when multiple people started shooting at each other inside the Art All Night event in Trenton.

One person, a 33 year-old male, was killed, and suspected to be one of the shooters, Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo Onofri said Sunday morning. Police took a second suspect into custody at the scene.

During a press conference Sunday, Onofri said authorities "believe" the alleged gunman who died was shot and killed by police.

Among the wounded is a 13-year-old boy in extremely critical condition, the prosecutor said.

What started the shooting is under investigation, but Onofri said Art All Night itself does not appear to have been the target. "All indications are that this was a dispute between individuals that occurred at Art All Night," Onofri said.

About 1,000 people were at the event when the gunfire erupted.

The event, billed as "24 hours of "community, creativity, and inspiration," and held at the historic Roebling Wire Works building on South Clinton Avenue, turned to chaos shortly before 3 a.m.

People ran from the event into nearby streets as police descended on the building and alternately looked for shooters and treated victims.

Irvin Higgenbotham, a resident who said he comes to the event every year, was shot in the leg early Sunday morning. Higgenbotham said he was walking inside the event with his bike when he heard the shots going off.

"It was like, pow, pow, pow and then I was laying down on the ground," he said.

A bullet struck his leg, he said, and a woman who was at the event helped him until he was able to be treated. Higgenbotham returned to the scene of the shooting at about 8:45 a.m. Sunday, after being released form the hospital, to find out what happened, and how he got caught in the middle of the shooting, he said.

Onofri described a chaotic and confusing scene early on: Trenton police were swamped with 911 calls reporting a shooting inside the venue, and the first police officers on scene radioed they needed critical assistance and backup.

Trenton police were working off-duty security at the event, and there were no metal detectors inside the building, authorities said. The event occurs both inside and outdoors.

Police later recovered firearms at the scene.

Videos posted on social media showed police and attendees huddling behind cars and helping the wounded.

Maurice Lennon, 31, said he wanted to get one last look at the art inside the building with his friend early Sunday when he heard gunfire.

"We heard the first shots ring out inside the art gallery. The first shot, then the second shot before it resonated that: Wow that's gunfire," Lennon, of Trenton said in a phone interview Sunday. "You saw the doors bust open, everyone starting running out and panicking. I ended up getting tripped and fell and I ended up crawling."

Lennon said he has cuts on his legs and arms from crawling and being stepped on by other people fleeing the shooting.

"I've gone to this event for several years. I've been going for the past several years, never anything like this," Lennon said. "I've always bragged that this is Trenton's best event ... it's always peaceful I've always felt safe."

An Art All Night Facebook page said Sunday it was canceling the rest of the event.

A major police presence remained in the area later Sunday.

This is the event's 12th year.

Fifteen victims, including 13 with gunshot wounds and the alleged gunman who was declared dead shortly after the shooting, were taken to Capital Health Regional Medical Center in Trenton, spokeswoman Kate Stier said. Four of the victims are in critical condition, she said.

None of the surviving victims had been released as of 11:20 a.m., but Stier said some are expected to be released later Sunday.

Seems to be gang related [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

If it’s gang related it won’t be talked about now. No one talks about gang violence.

_________________
"And you know, you know, you know, this can be beautiful, you say you're numb inside, but I can't agree. So the world's unfair, keep it locked out there. In here it's beautiful."

Guest

Screamingophelia wrote:: If it’s gang related it won’t be talked about now. No one talks about gang violence.

Likely. It will be briefly updated and that will be it.

Guest

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Highlights from article-

Twenty-two people, including a teenager, were injured early Sunday in a shooting at a 24-hour art festival in Trenton, New Jersey, the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office said.

Police identified the suspect as Tahaij Wells, 33, who is believed to have been killed by police, prosecutor Angelo Onofri said. Wells had just been released from prison on homicide-related charges, Onofri said. Officials have also charged Amir Armstrong, 23, on weapons offenses.

“It absolutely could have been worse given the confined space and the number of shots that appear to have been fired,” Onofri said.

The shooting appears to be the result of a gang dispute, he said. It is not related to terrorism.

Prior to the shooting, Onofri said there were “numerous altercations” inside and outside the festival. Police had been trying to shut the festival down.

Seventeen of the 22 victims transported to area hospitals were treated for gunshot wounds, according to Capital Health Regional Medical Center and St. Francis Medical Center.

Onofri updated the conditions of the four people who were all listed in critical condition, saying three of them — including the 13-year-old boy — have been upgraded to stable condition.

The fourth person listed in critical condition is believed to also be a suspect and is the only person still in critical condition. He has yet to be fully interviewed, Onorfri said.

Authorities have heard that as many as 1,000 people were in the area at the time of the shooting, Onofri said. The festival entrances had no metal detectors, he said.

Police are questioning witnesses to determine if more suspects could be at large, WPVI reported.

Investigators are also looking into a possibly related attempted carjacking near the festival, Onofri said. A man approached three people in a vehicle and “may or may not” have pointed a gun at them, the prosecutor said. The car sustained damage, he said.

The Mercer County’s Prosecutors Office Homicide Task Force will lead the investigation as there was an officer-involved shooting. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is assisting local and state police in the investigation.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy toured the scene and told reporters the shooting was “an awful, awful tragedy and yet another example of senseless gun violence.”