A city man was shot and killed Saturday morning outside of La Guira Bar.
Police say they were notified about a shooting in progress at the corner of Poplar Street and North Clinton Avenue around 2 a.m. Saturday. When officers arrived on-scene, they found a man suffering from gunshot wounds. The victim, who was later identified as 39-year-old Patrick V. Walker, was then taken to Capital Health Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
Patrick Walker
There are two bars located at the intersection of Poplar and North Clinton: La Guira Bar and Ann's Place. That location sometimes draws large crowds of people, especially when the bars are closing on early Saturday and Sunday mornings. The area was extremely quiet around 7 a.m. Saturday while police guarded the crime scene. As people drove by on their way to handle morning business, many of them stopped to ask how many victims had died. The expression on their faces showed that they were all too familiar with violence in the city, and some of them shook their head in disgust as they drove away.
For most of Saturday morning, police blocked the street so traffic could not pass through the active crime scene. At least 17 evidence markers littered the street and sidewalk.
So far this year, two people have been gunned down outside of La Guira Bar. Enrico Smalley Jr. was shot and killed in that location on July 12. It’s not exactly clear whether businesses can be sanctioned for the amount of violence that occurs outside its buildings. But police say they are actively looking for ways to prevent crime in the various “hot spots” throughout the city.
Police guard and process the crime scene outside of La Guira Bar where a man was shot and killed on Dec. 13, 2014. (Penny Ray - Trentonian)
"There was a homicide at the corner previously this year and we've had a couple of other incidents that have occurred in that area," Trenton Police Lt. Steven Varn said. "It's an area that we are keeping an eye on. When these things happen, we always look to see if there's something we can do to stop it, or if there's some type of violation that's going on that needs to be addressed."
The Mercer County Homicide Task Force is investigating the case. Anyone with information about the murder 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.