A partially decomposed body was found in an area behind this home on Taylor Street.
A 19-year-old male is in “extremely critical condition” after being shot in the head early Wednesday morning outside a residential area of the city’s North Ward.
“Brains were leaking out,” two sources said about the ghastly scene.
The shooting happened across the street from Greg Grant Park on the 900 block of East State Street just after midnight. Cops responded when ShotSpotter detected gunfire from someone spraying up an Audi. The teen was sitting inside the vehicle, which contained more then 20 bullet holes when cops arrived on scene.
Two others were in the area at the time of the shooting, including a 16-year-old boy who was apparently struck by gunfire and driven to Capital Health Regional Medical Center where police responded after learning he was there for treatment. Another 19-year-old man escaped the shooting unscathed, cops said.
Cops didn’t have suspect information to release, as detectives continue to dig into the circumstances behind the carnage. But police sources who spoke on condition of anonymity believe the victim shot in the head was not the intended target of the shooting. Sources believe the actual owner of the Audi was the intended target. As of press time, the teen remains in critical condition, clinging to life.
The shooting marked the latest spate of violence.
Authorities confirmed Tuesday morning after getting back the preliminary results of an autopsy that a man found dead Monday on the first block of Taylor Street had been stabbed to death.
The 56-year-old man was found in a garbage-filled stretch behind an abandoned row home nearest 24 Taylor Street.
A neighbor cutting grass discovered the man’s decomposing body on a grassy trail paralleling Taylor Street around 2:30 p.m. on Memorial Day. The stench overpowered the neighborhood as people gathered outside to barbecue.
The man was found with a large tree trunk covering his head, according to photos provided to this newspaper. He was laying on his side shirtless with his face covered by the log.
No one has been arrested in connection with either of these cases. Anyone with information that may help police solve the crimes is asked to call the Mercer County Homicide Task Force at 609-989-6406.
Staff writers Penny Ray and L.A. Parker contributed to this report.