Cagney Roberts | Homicide Watch Trenton

Three shot at church funeral for Cagney Roberts

Penny Ray — Tue, 22 Apr 2014 18:38:54 -0400

Three people were shot Tuesday afternoon while attending a funeral for 19-year-old Cagney Roberts who was gunned down earlier this month on Girard Avenue.

“Cagney’s mother was hiding under the chairs right next to the coffin when the gunshots went off,” a witness said. “She was so hysterical; you could see it in her eyes. I grabbed her and told her she was going to be alright.”

An investigator checks out two guns that were dropped near the scene of the shooting on Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. on Tuesday. Trentonian Photo/PENNY RAY

According to law enforcement, around noon Tuesday, gunshots were fired in the vicinity of Galilee Baptist Church on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. At this time, police are certain that shots were fired outside the church, but cannot confirm whether shots were fired inside. Witnesses, though, told The Trentonian that several gunshots were definitely fired from inside the house of worship.

“The place was full,” Roberts’ cousin Eric Muhammad said. “I was seated in the front row with the family. When I heard the pop, I immediately turned around and attempted to start securing family members and getting them out the side door.”

According to Police Director Ralph Rivera Jr., three people were struck by gunfire: a woman suffered a graze wound, and two young men suffered severe injuries which required emergency surgery. The two men are now in stable condition. Additionally, one woman was trampled as people were evacuated from the church, and another woman suffered a seizure shortly after the first shots were fired.

One witness told The Trentonian that she was inside the church when she all of a sudden heard someone say “It’s not over yet” moments before the first gunshot rang out.

“I feel sorry for Cagney’s parents,” a citizen said. “He was already dead; you can only kill a person once. I don’t understand these young boys.”

Police recovered five weapons from the scene: three revolvers were found in a parking lot near the church, a revolver was found inside the church foyer, and a gun was found on a suspect who was apprehended while leaving the scene in a vehicle.

“We stopped that vehicle and arrested a man with a gun,” Director Rivera said. “We don’t know if he was a shooter, but he was leaving that scene. We’ll have to run ballistics on his weapon first.”

Rivera also said that at the time of the shooting, two police patrol cars were in a parking lot near the church. Rivera said patrols were canvassing the area when they noticed a large crowd of young men gathering outside the church.

“So, as a precautionary measure we had two patrol cars in the parking lot when this violence erupted,” Rivera said. “It just goes to show that when people are intent on committing a crime, they are going to do it. I’m outraged by the actions of these individuals. And we will spare no man or woman, time or effort to bring this case to a conclusion and arrest all those responsible.”

More than 100 people were gathered outside on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard near Pennington Avenue, and most of them appeared heartbroken.

Pearlie Murray, who is running for East Ward Council, said she was home gardening when someone called her about the shooting.

“I’m a pastor as well, and a shooting in a church is a great concern for me,” Murray said. “There were children inside that church; those bullets could have injured or killed any of them. This is a bad situation, and it’s time for Governor Christie to release money to hire more cops to put on the street. Christie should be here; this is happening right under his nose.”

Two men shot and killed this week brings 2014 murder toll to nine

Penny Ray — Thu, 10 Apr 2014 21:32:58 -0400

Two people were killed in the city this week, bringing the 2014 murder toll to nine.

“Right now, we do not have control of the city and it bothers me,” Mayor George Muschal said Thursday evening. “We cannot tolerate people hanging out on these street corners. We need zero tolerance, and we need more police manpower, which the (Police) Director and I are working on.”

Raheim Hayes

Raheim Hayes, 34, of Browns Mills, was found inside a Smith Street home Wednesday afternoon suffering from a single gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

A woman found Hayes dead inside the house around noon and then called police. Sources told The Trentonian that Hayes was one of the men who was shot Monday near the corner of Smith and Beatty Street, and that he ran into the house after the shooting. At this time, police are unable to confirm the time of Hayes’ death and whether he was a victim of Monday’s shooting. But a spokesperson for the Mercer County Prosecutor’s office said that law enforcement is “investigating the connection between Monday’s shooting and Hayes’ murder.”

Jack Isabell, 41, was arrested shortly after Monday’s shooting and charged with criminal attempt homicide in connection with non-fatal gunshot wounds sustained by a 22-year-old victim. But at this time, no one has been charged in connection with Hayes’ death.

Cagney Roberts

Around 9 p.m. Wednesday, police found three other males shot near the corner of Girard and St. Joes Avenue. Cagney Roberts, 19, of Trenton, suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the hospital. And the other two victims sustained non-life-threatening gunshot wounds: one male was shot in the back, and the other was shot in the calf, according to police.

Sources told The Trentonian that the suspected gunman of Wednesday’s shooting rode by on a dirt bike and started firing at a crowd of people, but police would not confirm that detail. At this time, though, police do not have a description of Wednesday’s shooter.

More than 75 people gathered outside the hospital Wednesday evening, and Duncan W. Harrison Jr., a city council candidate, was among the crowd.

“Any time you hear about senseless violence and children getting shot, it’s a problem,” Harrison said. “This has been a problem for over three years. This isn’t the time for any one of us to play politics. We must come together as a community.”

The shootings remain under investigation 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. Tipsters may also call the Trenton Crime Stoppers tipline at (609) 278-8477. Those wishing to text a tip regarding the killing or any of the other crimes can send a message labeled TCSTIPS to Trenton Crime Stoppers at 274637.

— Shaheed Morris contributed reporting

One dead, two more injured in North Ward shooting

Penny Ray — Thu, 10 Apr 2014 00:52:14 -0400

Three people where shot, one of them fatally, Wednesday night in the city’s North Ward.

The shooting took place on Girard Avenue near St. Joes Avenue, and police on the scene said that all three victims were transported to Capital Health Regional Medical Center’s trauma unit. One male was pronounced dead at the hospital. The other victims are being treated for a variety of gunshot wounds.

The incident began at 9:38 p.m., when a gunman approached a group of people and opened fire. Sources say that someone drove by on a dirt bike and started firing, but police would not confirm that. According to Lt. Mark Kieffer, the suspect "walked around the corner and began shooting" at a group of people. Kieffer also said the shooting took place in a normally quiet area.

“Trenton police do not investigate violent crimes in this area very often,” Kieffer said.

Mayor George Muschal said Wednesday night that he plans to meet with law enforcement first thing Thursday morning.

“There have been several homicides in the city since I’ve taken office and something needs to be done about this,” Mayor Muschal said.

Earlier in the day, a woman returned to her house in the 200 block of Smith Street and found a man inside the home suffering from a gunshot wound. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene. Police were unsure at press time if that homicide was related to a non-fatal shooting that took place two days earlier a few houses down on Beatty Street.