A suspect taken into custody following the homicide of an 18-year-old in Trenton Monday morning has been charged in association with killing, said Mercer County prosecutor Angelo J. Onofri.
Horace Jones, 34, of Ewing, was charged with murder, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and unlawful possession of a weapon. Jones was taken into custody shortly after the shooting homicide occurred in the first block of Oakland Avenue at approximately 12:30 a.m. Monday morning.
This act of violence is one of three homicides reported between May 16 and May 18 in the city.
Mayor W. Reed Gusciora pledged further police enforcement to address fears of escalating conflict in neighborhoods across the city in response to the violent weekend, while the 9 p.m. curfew remains in effect.
“It is disheartening to see the loss of life because of petty grievances and domestic violence,” Gusciora said in a press release. “Across urban America we see all too often that guns are indiscriminately used to spark neighborhood violence. Since Trenton is not immune to these events, our police department is working closely with state and county agencies to curb these unlawful incidents.”
For Jones, the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office has filed a detention motion, scheduled to be heard on Friday. He is being held in the Mercer County Correction Center, according to the prosecutor’s office.
The homicide Jones is charged with was the first of two reported Monday morning. Trenton police officers who responded to a ShotSpotter activation for a shooting at approximately 12:30 a.m. on May 18, said they found the 18-year-old victim in the kitchen of his residence with a gunshot wound to the chest. The victim was pronounced dead shortly after being taken to the hospital.
Anyone with information on the homicide should contact the Mercer County Homicide Task Force at (609) 989-6406 or mchtftips@mercercounty.org.
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