Three people were shot, two of which died, Wednesday evening in two separate incidents that appear to be robberies gone awry.
According to police, around 9:39 p.m. Wednesday, two males were shot at the corner of Rosemont and Hoffman avenues. When police arrived on-scene, they found a man, later identified as 25-year-old Tyshawn Goodman, lying on the ground suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Goodman was taken to Capital Health Regional Medical Center, where he was later pronounced dead. The second victim, a 20-year-old city man, suffered gunshot wounds to the chest and feet, and he was taken to the hospital via a private vehicle. Police say he is currently in stable condition.
Police say the men were in a vehicle headed to a house in the 200 block of Rosemont Avenue. And as they exited the vehicle, they were approached by three black males who attempted to rob them at gunpoint.
On Thursday morning, a resident who has lived on the block for 47 years was cleaning blood off of the sidewalk at the corner of Hoffman and Rosemont. She said firefighters had cleaned up most of the blood, but she was using bleach to finish the job.
"It wasn't like this back in my day,” Barbara said. “They used to box when they had arguments, and everyone would be alright the next day. Me and my neighbors talk all the time about getting out of Trenton. The city's gone downhill. People don't even care about their houses around here; this whole street is awful.”
Another citizen who lives on Rosemont said she was looking out of the window Wednesday night when she suddenly heard five gunshots.
“There was a lot of people running around out here last night,” Charlotte said. “Then, I heard bang, bang, bang, bang, bang. I'm tired of this mess. Everyone has been telling me to move away from here, and that's what I'm gonna do one day soon.”
Front of 18 North Broad Street, where a man was shot and killed. Photo taken July 31, 2014. Trentonian/Penny Ray
The second shooting occurred around 10:20 p.m. Wednesday in front of 18 North Broad Street. Police say 43-year-old George Jamison, of Pennington, was shot once in the back; he was later pronounced dead at the hospital. Police say Jamison was sitting on a bus stop bench when a lone black male attempted to rob him at gunpoint. The suspect was seen bicycling away from the crime scene toward East Hanover Street, according to police.
The Trentonian attempted to speak with Jamison's family Thursday morning, but they declined to comment. Their next door neighbors, though, described Jamison as a quiet man who never bothered anyone.
"He was not an outgoing person; he almost never talked," his neighbor Keith Petrie said. "But he seemed to be interested in gardening. He'd go outside and pull weeds and stuff like that."
Petrie said he was surprised to hear that Jamison was dead, but not so surprised to hear that he was murdered in Trenton.
"There are a lot of desperadoes in Trenton who will kill you for your pocket change," Petrie said.
Wednesday's murders bring this year's homicide toll to 23.
Citing the latest two murders, State Senator Shirley Turner (D-Mercer/Hunterdon) believes there is "really a crisis" in the capital city.
"This is even more horrific because you have somebody now who was sitting at a bus stop - an innocent person waiting for a bus - and then they get shot because somebody decided to rob them," Turner said Thursday. "It's bad enough that the gangs are shooting each other, but now innocent people are being shot."
Turner, who did not support the bail reform bills in a special session on Thursday, said immediate action is needed in Trenton.
"What we did today will not help until 2017," Turner said of the bills. "In the meantime, we need some resources to put more police on the streets. The police department is understaffed."
"The criminals now - the people with the illegal guns - are running our cities," she added.
Police say there is no evidence indicating that Wednesday's homicides are related.
The cases are being investigated 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 can send a message labeled TCSTIPS to Trenton Crime Stoppers at 274637.
-Trentonian reporter David Foster contributed to this report.