Two gunmen opened fire at an all-night arts and music festival early Sunday morning, sending people running over each other in the scramble to safety, authorities said. One suspect was killed and 22 people were injured. (June 17) AP
One gunman was killed and 22 people were injured early Sunday after two men opened fire and triggered a stampede at an all-night arts festival in Trenton, New Jersey, authorities said.
Gov. Phil Murphy said the shooting may have stemmed from a “low-end neighborhood-level dispute” that spilled over into the venue
"This is yet another reminder of the senselessness of gun violence," Murphy said at a midday news conference at Galilee Baptist Church, noting he had signed six stringent gun measures into law last week.
City Councilman Jerell Blakeley said there were "whisperings" on social media Saturday that "there would be some issue" at the annual art event.
Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo Onofri said one of the suspects, a 33-year-old man, died after apparently being shot by police. The other suspect, who wasn't yet identified, was in police custody.
The shooting at the Art All Night Festival erupted about 2:45 a.m. and is still under investigation. The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is assisting state police with the investigation.
Onofri said 17 of those injured had gunshot wounds. One of the most seriously injured victims was a 13-year-old boy, he said.
“He is in extremely critical condition," Onofri said. “It absolutely could have been worse given the confined space and the number of shots that appear to have been fired."
About 1,000 people attended the festival at the historic Roebling Wire Works building, which didn't have metal detectors at the doors.
“All shootings, whether larger or small, are a crisis," Trenton Mayor Eric Jackson said. “This isn’t just a random act of violence. This is a public health issue."
Joe Kuzemka, the event director for Art All Night who also is the founder of Trenton Punk Rock Flea Market and owner of Pork Chop Express Booking, said he and his staff were "quite shaken" but otherwise all right.
"Something unbelievably tragic happened last night and I don’t quite know how to process this," Kuzemka said in a Facebook post. "My heart hurts so much. I’m so sad. I’m incredibly angry. I’m exhausted. I’m scared. I’m confused."
The remainder of the festival on Sunday was canceled.
The advocacy group Moms Demand Action, which was created to urge state and federal legislators to adopt gun-control measures, had a booth at the art festival. Pieces of art asked viewers to "imagine a world free of gun violence."
Councilwoman Kathy McBride, founder of Mothers Against Violence, has been working for 25 years on the issue of tougher gun laws.
"We will not change the venue of this event and we will not allow them to frighten us to back out," McBride said.
The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence called these ongoing mass shootings "unacceptable."
Giancarla Macaluso of Ewing, New Jersey, a volunteer at the event who left two hours before the shooting began, said many of her friends were still there. One friend is a nurse who helped after the shooting, she said.
"He said that they (the shooters) came in the entrance and just started to shoot — bullets and blood went everywhere," Macaluso said. "I don't know what prompted this — it's just crazy. There is so much good in this city, but I guess there is an element of craziness. It's such a shame. It makes me sad and angry."
Onofri said police were investigating a possible attempted carjacking in an alley outside the festival after the shooting, when a man may have pointed a gun at a car carrying three people. The car was damaged in the incident, he said.
"That is an ongoing investigation at this point," he said.
Onofri was asked whether the shooting was sparked by rival gangs or was a planned attack such as a terrorist incident.
“That’s all part of the investigation," he said. "We could make a lot of comments right now, but until everything gets pieced together and evaluated, I think it’s reckless to talk about it."
Angelo Nicolo told Philadelphia 6ABC TV that he and his brother were at the event when they heard loud popping sounds. He said people started running down the street.
“I saw two police officers escort a guy that got shot in the leg,” Nicolo said. “They bandaged him up and whisked him away.”
Contributing: Cheryl Makin, (Bridgewater, N.J.) Courier News, (East Brunswick, N.J.) Home News Tribune, The Associated Press
