The Trenton Times published the following article on July 2, 2013. To read the full article, click here.
Trenton shooting leaves man in stable condition hours after city’s 19th homicide is confirmed
By Alex Zdan/The Times
on July 02, 2013 at 7:30 AM, updated July 02, 2013 at 7:39 AMTRENTON — The Villa Park section of the city was the scene of another shooting yesterday, just one day after a man wounded on Greenwood Avenue this past weekend was officially declared dead, police said.
Just hours after police confirmed the death of Burlington Township resident Garious Denard Burton, hospital officials said the latest shooting victim was in stable condition after being struck late yesterday afternoon on Melrose Avenue.
The 29-year-old man was shot in front of the home by two masked men, Lt. Mark Kieffer said. The assailants shot him in both legs before fleeing on foot, Kieffer said.
That shooting came after Burton, who had been on life support after he was shot in the forehead early Saturday, died Sunday, city police confirmed yesterday.
Officers patrolling in Chambersburg around 1:15 a.m. Saturday heard one gunshot, then shortly after found Burton on the ground at the corner of Franklin Street and Morris Avenue.
Burton was rushed to the hospital, but had to be placed on life support due to his injury. He remained there until his death.
Burton’s killing is the city’s 19th homicide in 2013. No arrests have been made.
Yesterday, officers were called out to the 800 block of Melrose Avenue around 5:15 p.m. and immediately cleared the area for a crime scene investigation. A shirt or towel was on the sidewalk, next to what appeared to be a blood stain.
Witnesses said they saw a man shot at least once in the side being carried away into an ambulance. The heavy-set victim had been attended to by a neighbor, who placed a towel over the victim’s bleeding wound, residents said.
Villa Park, a residential area that normally is not a hotspot of violence, has seen increased crime in the last several years, an elderly resident said. He attributed the rise in crime to brazen, open-air drug dealing conducted throughout the section. He declined to be identified for fear of retaliation.
The 29-year-old shooting victim was expected to survive, Kieffer said.
Anyone with information on these cases 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) 989-5705.