Authorities have identified the man gunned down in the city’s East Ward on Saturday.
The Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office said the victim was Keyon Shontel Wade, 39, of Ewing. He was reported by police officials on Saturday as being a 43-year-old city man. Wade would have been 40 in April based upon information from the prosecutor’s office. He was shot in front of a city liquor store located at Walnut Avenue and Chambers Street around 12:40 p.m. Wade was pronounced dead at Capital Health Regional Medical Center at 1:07 p.m.
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A man is dead after being shot in the city’s Wilbur Section, authorities said.
The Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office and the Trenton Police confirmed that a man was killed in front of Martinez Liquors on Saturday just before 1:00 p.m.
According to Casey DeBlasio, a spokeswoman for the prosecutor’s office, a man in his 40s was found outside of the liquor store at the intersection of Walnut Avenue and Chambers Street around 12:45 after police were called to the area. Area residents reported hearing as many as five shots.
The victim, whose name has not yet been released, was taken to Capital Health Regional Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.
Currently, authorities have said there is no suspect in the killing.
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Two men pleaded innocent Wednesday to charges that they conspired and killed 18-year-old James Austin, son of retired Trenton police Sgt. Luddie Austin.
Around 1:45 p.m. on Feb. 26, police found Austin lying in the foyer of a residence in the 900 block of East State Street suffering from a gunshot wound to the chest. Austin later died at Capital Health Regional Medical Center.
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The death of a victim found Saturday inside a burning car on Hart Avenue has been ruled a homicide, according to police sources.
Around 7:15 p.m. Saturday, police were dispatched to the 100 block of Hart Avenue to investigate a burning car, and sources told The Trentonian that a victim was found inside the vehicle. Scanner reports at the time indicated that police were told there were gunshots just before and shortly after the fire began.
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Police have identified the man who was shot and killed Monday night on Lee Avenue as 25-year-old Keyaan Lee Young.
According to police sources, around 7:15 p.m. Monday, officers were dispatched to the 100 block of Lee Avenue to investigate a shooting in progress. But when officers arrived at the scene, they found Young near the intersection of Columbia and Lee Avenue suffering from a gunshot wound to the head.
Young was pronounced dead at the scene.
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A man was found Monday night shot and killed on Lee Avenue.
According to police sources, around 7:15 p.m. Monday, officers were dispatched to the 100 block of Lee Avenue where they found a man suffering from a gunshot wound to the head. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.
Witnesses on-scene said someone was taken into custody shortly after the shooting, but police did not comment about any arrests.
The case is being investigated by the Mercer County Homicide Task Force. Anyone with information is asked to call (609) 989-6406, or use the Trenton police confidential tip line at (609) 989-3663.
Not even a full week into the new year and police are investigating a homicide in the 100 block of Hart Avenue.
Police were called to the scene initially around 7:11 p.m. for a car on fire at the end intersection of Hart Avenue and Hurley streets. The fire department responded and found the burning car at end of the street next to a fence adjacent to the Assunpink Creek.
Scanner reports indicated that police were told that there had been gunshots just before and shortly after the raging fire.
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The numbers in this story are pulled from Homicide Watch Trenton’s database, unless otherwise noted. For more detailed information, use the sorting features of the victims and suspects databases, or explore the map.
In 2013, 41 people were killed in 39 separate incidents. That number includes two fatalities that were ruled “death by auto,” and two people who were justifiably shot and killed by police. It also includes the death of Omar Hightower, who was shot in 2005, but died in 2013 after suffering a seizure caused by a bullet that was lodged in his brain.
According to the New Jersey State Police Uniform Crime Reporting Unit, “death by auto” is considered a manslaughter and is therefore not reported as a homicide statistic. And although justifiable police shootings are reported to the FBI, they are not published as a homicide statistic by state police. Therefore, New Jersey State Police will report Trenton’s official homicide number as 37, which includes Hightower’s death.
The Trentonian, however, has decided to include deaths by auto and justifiable police shootings in its yearly homicide count.
With that said, here are the rest of the numbers:
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During the weeks leading up to the new year, The Trentonian spoke with several City Council members and asked their thoughts about Trenton’s deadliest year. These are some of their answers.
What comes to mind when you hear that someone was murdered in Trenton?
“It’s saddening. We need to focus on educating the young people of this city, and then find ways to help them gain employment. Many of the suspects in these shootings are protecting their turf and looking for a way to make money. They need jobs. And if we are going to get them off the street, we need to help them find employment. Moreover, we need a task force or tactical unit to prevent killings in this city. We have a task force to solve murders, but we should also focus on stopping the murders.” - City Council President George Muschal
“When I hear that another person has been murdered in Trenton, the first thing that comes to my mind is, ‘Oh my God, not another one.’ We’ve lost control of our youth in the city. I know that our police department is low in numbers, and we have a task force that is working hard to arrest suspects as soon as possible; but it would be better if we prevented violent crimes as opposed to solving murders. Families are hurting because of the murders. And I don’t know how to get families to intervene when they know their children are involved in gangs or illicit activity.” - City Council Vice President Marge Caldwell-Wilson
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There is no single homicide case that stands above all others as more important or more significant, in this or any other year. But 2013 was the deadliest year on record for the city of Trenton.
The loss of any life, be it man, woman, elder or child, is significant and tragic. Several cases captured the city’s hearts and minds this year, for a variety of reasons. This is a short list of those that were most captivating.
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