Police investigate a murder on Division Street. November 24, 2015 (Penny Ray - Trentonian)
A man was shot and killed Tuesday morning, ending a two-month break from homicides in the city.
“There was some type of gun battle out here last night,” a man who was at the murder scene Tuesday said. “But by the time cops got here, the suspects had fled. Police searched the area and couldn't find anything, so they went on their way. People came out at six o’clock this morning to go to work and they found the kid lying in front of that car over there.”
Elvin Kimble, 19, was found dead behind a home in the 700 block of Division Street around 6:15 a.m. Tuesday. Authorities have not confirmed the exact time that he was shot, but police say officers were dispatched to the intersection of Rusling Street and Chestnut Avenue to investigate a reported shooting around 12:30 a.m. Police say they found evidence of a shooting in that area, but did not find a victim.
Then, about six hours later, police received a call reporting a bullet hole in a vehicle that was parked on Rusling Street. While investigating that matter, police received a call reporting a dead body behind a house on Division Street.
Elvin Kimble
The location of the 12:30 a.m. shooting is about a block away from where Kimble was found dead. A spokesperson with the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office said it appears that Kimble was shot near the intersection of Rusling and Chestnut, and then managed to run to Division Street where he collapsed and was hidden by a van. Officials also say the incident appears to have been a shootout between at least two people who were on opposite sides of Rusling Street. Police found multiple shell casings in the area, and several vehicles were struck by gunfire. No additional victims had been found by press time.
One of Kimble's friends confirmed that he was involved in a gun battle early Tuesday morning, and said she saw him with a gun in his hand. Another witness described the shooting as sounding "like fireworks," and said she heard about 15 to 20 gunshots.
Kimble was arrested in September for drug possession. Police noticed him on the front porch of an abandoned property on Hewitt Street, and when officers approached him, Kimble allegedly tried to hide crack cocaine in his pocket.
Anyone with information about Kimble’s murder is asked to call the Mercer County Homicide Task Force at (609) 989-6406 or contact the Trenton Police confidential tip line at (609) 989-3663. Individuals may also call the Trenton Crime Stoppers tip line at (609) 278-8477. Those wishing to text a tip can send a message labeledTCSTIPS to Trenton Crime Stoppers at 274637.
-Trentonian reporter Isaac Avilucea contributed to this report.