Police and medics rush to save a woman who was driven to TPD headquarters after being shot in East Trenton. November 30, 2016 (Penny Ray - Trentonian)
The situation appeared bad from the start. Then, it became worse.
Amber Dudley, a 27-year-old female from Collingswood, who was driven to Trenton Police headquarters after being shot died at the hospital shortly before midnight Wednesday.
Officials say Dudley was one of three passengers being transported by a man providing rides through Lyft, which is a peer-to-peer ridesharing service similar to Uber.
None of the people in the car, including the driver, were from Trenton, according to police who say Dudley and the other two passengers were friends.
Officials say the vehicle was on Mechanics Avenue around 7:15 p.m. when a man armed with a handgun tried to enter the rear of the car. Officials say the suspect tried to rob the occupants of the vehicle, which sparked a struggle between he and the passengers. The Lyft driver then sped off, officials say, and the gunman fired a shot.
After Dudley was shot, the Lyft driver sped to TPD headquarters in the 200 block of North Clinton Avenue, creating a frantic situation that sent patrol vehicles speeding back to the police station.
Officers hurried to perform life-saving measures as Dudley lay spread out on the ground on the passenger side of a Toyota Corolla that was parked outside of the headquarters building.
Witnesses who were leaving the city’s municipal court, which is in the same building as police headquarters, said they saw Dudley hunched inside the vehicle, convulsing and clinging onto life while a man ran inside the building seeking help.
Amber Dudley (submitted photo)
“It looked like she wasn’t going to make it,” one witness said at the scene.
Witnesses said law enforcement personnel and medics took Dudley out of the car and performed CPR before placing her inside an ambulance and rushing her to the hospital.
The Lyft driver and other occupants of the car were detained for questioning. No other injuries were reported.
Officials say Dudley was able to speak when she arrived at the police station and told officers she was shot somewhere in East Trenton.
She died from a single gunshot wound to the chest.
It took about 20 minutes for police and EMS officials to stabilize the woman and place her in an ambulance for transport to the hospital.
The Toyota, meanwhile, remained outside headquarters with the driver’s side door open, awaiting detectives to process the crime scene.
After news of her death spread, several of Dudley's friends expressed their sorrow on Facebook.
"I would die to give you your life back," Keane Susie wrote, while posting a picture of Dudley. "I can't stop crying. I want to wake up and this be a f****** nightmare."
One of Dudley's friends who uses the profile Gargoyles Max Steele wrote:
"This is such a sad story, such a bad turn of events. She was just a cool down to Earth person. She was actually one of the first people to start a conversation with me when I moved from Camden and came to Collingswood not knowing a soul besides my football teammates. R.I.P Amber man, You'll always be remembered by me, Collingswood Alumni. I always show love."
A representative from Lyft provided the following statement via email late Thursday:
"Our deepest sympathies are with the family and loved ones of the Lyft passenger who was tragically killed yesterday. Safety is our top priority, and Lyft has been working closely with law enforcement to assist their investigation."
The suspect remains on the run.
Anyone with information about the incident 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 labeled TCSTIPS to Trenton Crime Stoppers at 274637.
— Trentonian staff writer Sulaiman Abdur-Rahman contributed to this report.
Police and medics rush to save a woman who was driven to TPD headquarters after being shot in East Trenton. November 30, 2016 (Penny Ray - Trentonian)