People were gathered in front of the bar, Ramoneros Liquor and Bar on Brunswick Avenue, enjoying a seasonable beginning to Memorial Day weekend when a car pulled up and at least one gunman began firing.
The crowd scattered. Some people dove behind parked cars for cover until the car sped away.
“Why is it that these shootings keep going on and on and on?” asked Lisa Austin-Granville, a local pastor who prayed amid blood stains and broken glass on the sidewalk.
Austin-Granville accused the city authorities of failing to prevent shootings, saying, “I should not know so many parents that have lost children.”
The wounded were taken to local hospitals and two required emergency surgery, but all were expected to survive, said Mayor Reed Gusciora of Trenton.
Multiple weapons were involved and possibly multiple gunmen, he said. The shooting “could very well be” related to gang rivalry, he said.
This was the second major mass shooting in the last year in Trenton, New Jersey’s capital city, which has a population of 80,000. In June, 22 people were injured after a gunman opened fire during an art festival, striking 17, with the others hurt by being trampled. One person died.
Of the five homicides in the city this year, four have come in the past month, including an 18-year-old grandson of a mayoral aide, a Trenton Police Department spokesman, Capt. Stephen Varn, said. Of the latest shooting, Varn said, “You have a warm night on the beginning of a holiday weekend, and a large crowd outside, and they end up being a target of opportunity.”
The police on Saturday were still looking for the gunman or gunmen and investigating whether the shooting was gang-related, he said.
Gusciora blamed federal gun laws for the violent outbursts as well as bars becoming “an easy target” for people intent on settling scores.
Local gang activity takes the form of rival neighborhood groups, he said, “and this very well could be that.”