Homicide Watch Trenton

TRENTON — David Lewis, 23, was shot to death on the second block of East Paul Ave., just after 7:30 p.m. Thursday evening, according to police.

“We heard three to four shots but just didn’t know what it was,” said a man who works at the Colonial Delhi where bullets rang out in the vacant alley next door.

“By the time I closed up at 8 p.m., there were ambulances and lots of police cars here.” Neighbors were shocked to hear of Lewis’ passing, and remembered the young man as a happy person who meant no harm. “He was always smiling,” said one East Paul Street resident, who didn’t want to be identified. “He was always cracking jokes and always smiling.” Lewis, who frequented several stores on the street, was well liked by most who knew him.

“He used to be a customer of mine and he never did anything wrong, always very polite,” said Sineta Pasquel who owns the corner bodega at East Paul Ave. and Brunswick Avenue. Two sources familiar with the case confirmed the victim was shot in the head however police will not release any additional information and are still searching for the suspect.”

There is no known motive at this time and it is an ongoing investigation,” said police spokesman Peter Szpakowski. Lewis’ body was found by police on the floor in the back of the alley, and he was pronounced dead at the scene, making this the eighth homicide in Trenton this year.

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

A convicted killer has been identified as the victim of a fatal ambush in which he was shot multiple times outside the Roger Garden Apartments late Saturday night, police said Monday.

The victim was identified as 32-year-old Wilfredo Rivera, who served from 1999 to 2010 for an aggravated manslaughter committed in March 1998.

A police spokesman said the shots rang out Saturday outside the housing complex along Hoffman Avenue in the West Ward.

Officers arrived to find the victim just inside a hallway at the apartment building. He was pronounced dead on arrival at Capital Health Regional Medical Center in Trenton.

The fatality was just one of several violent crimes that kept city officers busy Saturday evening.

Cory Persons, 35, was spotted by officers allegedly waving and firing a revolver on Walnut Street. As police approached to arrest Persons, he ran off and entered an abandoned building at 267 Walnut St. In an attempt to elude officers, Persons climbed onto the roof of the vacant property and jumped onto the roof of the neighboring building and then jumped into a third floor room through a window.

Several attempts to get the suspect to surrender failed until an officer arrived with his canine partner. The dog was able to pull Persons out of hiding and into the hands of arresting officers. In addition to the firearm in Persons’ possession, two additional weapons were recovered at his residence.

The suspect is also a person of interest in a shooting that occurred earlier that evening in the same vicinity, police said. In that case, a man was shot in the upper part of both thighs.

Police were called to 408 N. Clinton Ave. Saturday evening when, according to Trenton police spokesman Peter Szpakowski, “an ex-girlfriend got very jealous at her ex-boyfriend, and stabbed him in the chest.” Police said the victim did not want to identify or press charges against the female suspect.

A city resident has been arrested in a drive-by killing that closed down Route 29 for more than 12 hours in January, police said Thursday.

Anthony Marks, 24, was arrested late Wednesday in the slaying of 23-year-old Daquan Dowling, who was driving near the Statehouse when his car was hit with gunfire.

Sgt. Chris Doyle said Dowling, who was killed instantly, was an innocent victim and not the target of the shooting. The target was his passenger, who was the owner of the car, but the tinted windows on their vehicle prevented the shooters from seeing that Dowling was driving at the time.

“We don’t believe Mr. Dowling was the target, but I don’t want to comment on any more about that,” Doyle said.

William R. Mitchell, 24, who allegedly was in the car with Marks when the shots were fired, is being sought by police. Marks faces murder and other charges. The killing and investigation led to tie-ups that lasted through the morning rush hour, causing gridlock across the city.

A 22-year-old Trenton man by the name of Irvin Jackson was shot in the head and killed Monday afternoon in an alley in the 100 block of Hermitage Avenue.

The motive in the daylight execution of Jackson, 22, was not known.

The men at Ben’s Furniture across Hermitage Avenue said they heard four loud reports.

“I was on my lunch break next door, and I heard Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Four shots,” said John Moore. “I looked out the windows, and I saw the boy laying down.

“There was a crowd around him,” he said. “He was a friend; they were just trying to tell him to stay strong.” Shop owner Ben Lashley said he also heard four shots.

Officers responded to shots fired about 2 p.m., a police spokesman said.

The victim died at Capital Health Regional Medical Center’s Fuld trauma unit, becoming Trenton’s sixth homicide victim of 2012.

Trenton activist and Trentonian TV host Darren Freedom Green was at the hospital; he tweeted this: “police wagons and sheriffs are by Emergency exits … Family members and friends are irate and in shock.”

Later in the day, two sheets were tacked up near the Hermitage Grocery, as grieving friends wrote “R.I.P. Swurv” in Sharpie. A man sat alone quietly on a bench near the canal.

A man with two children had just gone by in the bright sunshine and wind, toward the Cadwalader playground.

TRENTON — Police on Thursday identified Wednesday night’s slaying victim as Iridious Wise, who has served time on drugs and weapons charges.

Wise, 32, was shot to death as gunfire erupted on East State Street at 7:48 p.m. Wednesday. Brandon Palmer, 23, was wounded and rushed to Capital Health System Medical Center’s Fuld trauma unit.

“There were two victims in the 1100 block of East State,” said Trenton Police Sgt. David Cruz. “One was taken to the hospital, the other was dead on arrival on scene. Both were males. No arrests have been made Investigation by homicide detectives is underway.”

There was no immediate information on the motive for the shootings.

UPDATE AT 2 P.M. THURSDAY: Trenton Sgt. Mark Keiffer told The Trentonian that the two dead men are Troy Bradley, 38, and Pavevo Davis, 38. Both have criminal backgrounds that are listed in the NJ Department of Corrections website. More to come.

Two people were killed last night when gunfire erupted in what police believe may have been a home invasion robbery gone wrong.

The shooting occurred on the first block of Overbrook Avenue sometime before 9:30 p.m.

According to initial reports, it seems two gunmen may have attempted a home invasion on the block, and both suspects ended up being shot to death.
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The Trentonian’s L.A. Parker writes about the death of Daquan Dowling:

Daquan Dowling, 23, is dancing with a Rolling Stones-created “Mr. D.” after missing out on a potential life-saving experience with Emily Charter’s “Mr. D.”

“I’m not going to turn this into some nice and happy event. We can’t make this all warm and fuzzy,” Dixon said.

“Emily Fisher Charter School failed this kid. Trenton Central High School failed this kid. Trenton failed this kid. And his family failed this kid. Maybe I will see all of this differently at some other time. But right now, at this moment, all I see is failure.”

Dowling played basketball at both Fisher and Trenton High. Like many other city athletes, Dowling dabbled in education while playing basketball, then disappeared when the season ended. He ended up at Fisher.

Dowling delivered an ultimate getaway Monday night when police said an assailant gunned down the 22-year-old man on a major highway. Mr. Dowling met “Mr. D.” when a bullet shot through his brain.

A 19-year-old charged in the death of another man will have to come up with $500,000 cash if he wants to walk out of custody.

Willie Figueroa, of Trenton, was charged with attempted murder and weapons offenses in the shooting that led to the death of Jose deJesus Rodriguez on Jan. 12.
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A 19-year-old city resident has been charged with killing another man after an argument Jan. 12 in the 100 block of Fulton Street, police said Monday.

Willie Y. Figueroa, 19, was nabbed by U.S. Marshals on at 10:45 a.m. Friday and was being held by authorities here on $500,000 bail on a charge of attempted murder, reported Casey DeBlasio, spokeswoman for Mercer County Prosecutor Joseph Bocchini.
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Hours after Mayor Tony Mack proclaimed his city was “in crisis” following a relentless series of killings, another young man was shot dead Thursday.

Robert Howard, 20, was killed in the area of North Clinton and Hart avenues, just down the street from city police headquarters. Howard, of Tyrell Place, became the city’s fifth homicide victim in eight days.
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