One suspect is dead and 22 people were hurt early Sunday after gunfire rang out at an arts festival in Trenton, New Jersey, authorities said.
According to The Associated Press, Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo Onofri said two suspects began firing their weapons at the Art All Night festival about 3 a.m. EDT Sunday. Authorities originally said four of the victims were injured critically, and 17 of the victims suffered gunshot wounds, the AP reported. A 13-year-old teen who was in critical condition was upgraded Sunday night to stable condition, The Trentonian reported
UPDATE, June 18, 2018, 8:53 a.m. EDT: Police said Tahaij Wells, 32, died at the hospital after suffering gunshot wounds during the melee, The Trentonian reported. Police said he was one of the suspects who were shooting inside the warehouse.
Police identified another shooter as Amir Armstrong, 23, who was listed in stable condition at a hospital, the Trentonian reported. Prosecutors said Armstrong was charged with a weapons offense. Police said there was a third suspected gunman who was in critical condition but did not identify him, the newspaper reported.
UPDATE: June 17, 2018, 2:59 p.m.: New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy spoke at the Galilee Baptist Church in Trenton. "Art All Night is a time when we call come together. We cannot let gun violence tear us apart," he said. "These are not inappropriate times to talk about gun policy. These are the most important times to talk about gun policy."
UPDATE: June 17, 2018, 2:40 p.m.: The Trentonian reported that "law enforcement sources" believed a fight that sparked the shooting was the result of an ongoing conflict between two rival groups. A social media post 15 hours before the shooting suggested that there would be gunfire at the event. A Facebook post by Danielle Grady pleaded for people to "Please, please, do not got to Art All Night! They will be shooting it up!"
The post has since been taken down, but the Trentonian ran a screen shot of the Facebook post.
UPDATE: June 17, 2018, 11:00 a.m. EDT: Officials said 22 people were injured during the incident, 17 by gunfire. Of the four people injured critically, one was a 13-year-old boy who was in "extreme critical condition," police said.
UPDATE: June 17, 2018, 9:25 a.m. EDT: What Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo Onofri said the festival does not appear to have been the target of the shooting, NJ.com reported.
"All indications are that this was a dispute between individuals that occurred at Art All Night," Onofri said.
UPDATE: June 17, 2018, 9:08 a.m. EDT: At a news conference Sunday morning, Trenton Mayor Eric Jackson called the shooting "truly a tragedy" for the city.
“All shootings, whether large or small, are a crisis. It’s a fact that our cities, as well as our suburbs, throughout America are experiencing an increase in public shootings and public unrest,” Jackson said. “This isn’t some random act of violence; this is a public health issue. We are working cooperatively and collaboratively to end this violence in the city of Trenton.”
UPDATE: June 17, 2018, 8:53 a.m. EDT: Art festival officials announced on Facebook "with great regret" that the remainder of the festival had been canceled.
“We’re still processing much of this and we don’t have many answers at this time,” officials wrote in the Facebook post.
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