Murder rocks Bellevue Avenue in Trenton Wednesday evening
TRENTON — A city man was gunned down Wednesday evening on the first block of Bellevue Ave and pronounced dead shortly after he arrived at a local hospital, police said
Sources say the victim was shot several times and that the Mercer County Homicide Task Force was investigating, but no official confirmation was available about details.
Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office confirmed late Wednesday night that 18-year-old Taquan Ellerbe was found in the rear of a building on the first block of Bellevue Ave after police responded to a 9-1-1 call for a male shot and activation of the Shotspotter system.
Ellerbe was transported to Capital Health Fuld for “several gunshot wounds” and was pronounced deceased just before 6 p.m.
Officials said that the man’s family was at the hospital and informed of his death.
Mayor Reed Gusciora weighed in Wednesday evening. “It’s a tragedy for all Trentonians and indicative of gun violence across the country in urban America,” Gusciora said. “We will continue to step up law enforcement under the new Police Director and address the root causes of indiscriminate shootings involving young persons in our neighborhoods. One shooting is one too many in our city.”
Sources have identified the victim as a relative of mayoral aide Andrew Bobbitt. Bobbitt has worked for Mayors Doug Palmer, Eric Jackson, and Gusciora.
Screenshot of the first block of Bellevue Avenue in Trenton where Taquan Ellerbe was shot and killed Wednesday, May 22, 2019.
This is the fifth homicide in Trenton this year, but May has been a deadly month in and around the capital city.
Willie West, 69, of Ewing, was shot in the stomach with a sawed-off shotgun on the first block of Hart Avenue just before 7:20 Saturday night, the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office said. He was pronounced dead at a hospital a short time later.
Maurice Rowe, 30, of Trenton, was shot to death Tuesday, May 7, near Oakland and Hoffman avenues.
The brazen shooting was interrupted by Trenton Police street crime detectives Stephen Szbanz and John Carrigg who were responding to an unrelated call on Hoffman Avenue when they heard gunshots, prosecutors said.
Rowe was killed five days after 40-year-old Javier Morales was gunned down, with his back turned, near Hudson and Pearl streets.
Trenton musician Jamar Tucker was also murdered this month when he was found shot to death in Langhorne on his birthday, May 10.
Leydi Lemos-Delgado, 32, of Hamilton was stabbed to death in her Hamilton home Sunday, May 12.
