The Trenton Times published the following article on May 4, 2013. To read the full article, click here.

Ewing man shot by Trenton police was arrested last week for drug, weapon charges, police say

By Alex Zdan/The Times 
on May 04, 2013 at 7:30 AM, updated May 04, 2013 at 7:33 AM

TRENTON —An armed Ewing man who was shot and wounded by a city police officer during a foot chase Thursday night had been arrested a week before with a gun after running from state troopers, authorities said yesterday.

Timothy Miller, 32, was armed when he confronted the police officer in a back alley off Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard Thursday, police said, revealing yesterday they had seized a handgun from the scene. The officer, who police did not identify, fired once during a confrontation in the alley, hitting Miller in the foot.

Yesterday afternoon, police and the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office performed a walk-through of the shooting scene with the officer involved, Lt. Mark Kieffer said. As in any shooting by a law enforcement officer, the investigators will compare what happened with the state Attorney General’s guidelines on use of force to determine if the shooting was justified.

Police said yesterday there were no immediate findings, as the investigation was still ongoing.

Miller had made his $150,000 bail from an April 25 arrest on drug and weapons charges last Saturday, but by 8 p.m. Thursday was on Perry Street where he shot two men, police allege. Officers who heard that shooting and sped to the scene saw a car carrying Miller and two others fleeing. They gave chase until the car stopped on Bond Street and Miller fled on foot, police said.

Miller was running down Skillman Alley between Bond Street and East Ingham Avenue when he was confronted and shot, according to police. He was arrested following the shooting, and Tiffany Wright, 31, of Trenton was taken into custody on Bond Street beside the vehicle she, Miller, and an unidentified third man allegedly fled in. She was charged with eluding and written motor vehicle summonses, Lt. Steve Varn said.

Miller was charged with receiving stolen property for the allegedly stolen handgun, possession of a weapon for unlawful purpose, unlawful possession of a weapon, and two counts of criminal attempted homicide in connection with the initial shooting on Perry Street.

Police yesterday released no information on motive for the shooting, which happened near the intersection of Perry and North Montgomery streets. One man was found in front of a home, shot in the arm. The other had gunshot wounds in the mouth, knee and toe, and drove himself to Capital Health Regional Medical Center, Kieffer said.

Everyone shot Thursday night was expected to survive, and no officers were hurt, police said. The third suspect, who fled on foot from the car after it stopped on Bond Street, remains at large.

Miller was previously arrested by troopers on April 25 after a foot pursuit, during which he threw down material believed to be marijuana, a State Police spokesman said.

Authorities said he was carrying a gun at the time. He was charged with drug and weapons offenses and his bail was set at $150,000.

Miller posted bail and was released April 27, according to court records.

The police officer’s shooting of Miller is being investigated by Trenton homicide and internal affairs detectives and the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office. The shooting happened near Limmie Caver Sr. Field in Martin Luther King Park, where a group of 7- and 8-year-olds was playing baseball. Parents who heard the gunshot sheltered children in the dugout as one of the suspects ran by, according to a mother of a player who declined to give her name.

The last time a Trenton police officer shot a suspect was June 2011, when Detective Travis Maxwell shot and wounded Aaron Veh “Gunz” Carter. That shooting, also on Bond Street, happened during a foot pursuit after Carter allegedly pointed his weapon at Maxwell as the two stood in an alley by the side of a building.

Maxwell fired several times, striking Carter, while Carter did not get a shot off, police said at the time. Two loaded guns were seized from Carter’s person, police said.

And on April 25, 2011, an unarmed man was shot and killed by police. Corey Brown, 31, was shot on Frazier Street during a confrontation following a domestic dispute. He had allegedly refused to show his hands and approached officers as if he were carrying a weapon.

Brown’s death was the most recent fatal shooting by city police officers.

Anyone with information on any of the shootings should call police at (609) 989-4170, or the Confidential Tip Line at (609) 989-3663.

Contact Alex Zdan at azdan@njtimes.com or (609) 989-3663.