Police look for clues at a fatal shooting scene in Martin Luther King Jr. Park in Trenton. (Gregg Slaboda - Trentonian)
A man was murdered Wednesday afternoon in Martin Luther King Jr. Park, bringing this year's homicide toll to 19.
Breion Greenfield, 30, was shot around 4:30 p.m. Wednesday in the 600 block of Southard Street.
Martin Luther King Jr. Park is located near the intersection of Southard Street and Brunswick Avenue. Detectives were on-scene Wednesday using flashlights to search the park for evidence, occasionally placing cones next to potential clues. Investigators also used metal detectors to search the grass for shell casings.
A man was tinting windows on Proctor Avenue, about 50 yards away from where gunfire erupted in the park. He said he heard about five gunshots but didn't react. "I guess I'm just used to it," he said.
Detectives use flashlights to investigate a murder in Martin Luther King Jr. Park. November 25, 2015 (Isaac Avilucea - Trentonian)
Police did not disclose how many times Greenfield was struck, but sources say he was shot at least once in the chest.
Breion Greenfield is the cousin of Jamer Greenfield who was shot and killed in July last year.
"First my son, and now my nephew; this is too much," Talaya Greenfield told The Trentonian.
A repeat felony offender with an extensive rap sheet, Breion Greenfield was expected to testify as a state witness in the upcoming murder trial of Mikal Bush, who is accused of gunning down Hassan "Fozz" Peters in 2008.
Greenfield’s aunt lived a door down from where Peters was shot on Bellevue Avenue, a place Greenfield often visited. Prosecutors believe Peters was an innocent bystander, caught in the crossfire of Bush’s alleged retaliation plot.
At a pretrial hearing earlier this year, Greenfield testified that he used a 9mm handgun to rob Bush of heroin, a watch and $450 in cash the same day Peters was killed.
“I want Fozz’s mom to know the truth,” Greenfield said in July. “It’s my fault. If it wasn’t for me, he’d still be alive. I did something I had no business doing. Fozz got shot over it.”
Bush, who is free on $600,000 bail, has maintained his innocence in Peters' slaying. His trial is scheduled for May 2016.
Police have not named any suspects in Breion Greenfield's murder. He was never charged for the robbery involving Bush because the statue of limitations expired, officials said. But Greenfield was arrested and charged in a separate armed robbery in July. Police say he pointed an imitation Uzi handgun at a 37-year-old man in the 500 block of Union Street and demanded money. He was found a short time later on Federal Street where officers discovered the fake gun inside his sports utility vehicle.
Days later, Greenfield escaped from custody. Wearing only a hospital gown, socks and handcuffs, Greenfield escaped the clutches of corrections officers while at Capital Health Regional Medical Center in Trenton, where he was taken for unspecified medical attention. After wriggling one of his hands free from the shackles, Greenfield led authorities on a chase through the city, breaking the window of a home on Nassau Street. He forced his way into the second story of a home on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard before he was apprehended.
Wednesday's murder marks the second homicide in two days. On Tuesday morning, 19-year-old Elvin Kimble was killed during a shootout in Chambersburg.
So far this year, 19 people have been killed within the capital city, which includes two people who died by vehicular homicide.
Anyone with information about Wednesday’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.