Gunman Killed After Shooting Leaves 22 Wounded At New Jersey Arts Festival

Two men opened fire at a 24-hour art festival in New Jersey early Sunday morning, leaving 22 people wounded. One of the suspects was shot and killed by police and the other was taken into custody. 17 of the 22 people suffered injuries from gunshots, while the other five people suffered injuries during the chaos that followed the shooting.

Police are unsure what sparked the shooting, but said they do not think the  24-hour Art All Night show in the Roebling Market in Trenton was the target. Authorities believe the two suspects got into a fight, which ended in a shootout. 

There were around 1,000 people at the festival when shots rang out. A local resident who arrived just before the shooting described the scene to The Trentonian

“When we got here around 2:30, it didn’t look like we were coming to Art All Night,” city resident Franco Roberts said. “It looked like we were outside of a Philadelphia club after the bar closes and people who don’t want to leave are standing around their cars smoking and drinking.”

Roberts explained that it was odd that there was no music playing and that there were "more people outside than in the warehouse," where the festival was being held. 

“There’s usually a lot of noise and a lot of music but there was none of that,” Roberts said. “Someone told us they were shutting down the whole building. Then we turned around and saw people squaring up to fight. I saw two punches and then heard several gunshots,” Roberts said.

The group that puts on the annual festival said they were "very shocked" and "deeply saddened" by the shooting and that their staff, volunteers, artists, and musicians were "healthy and accounted for."

It’s with great regret that we announce that the remainder of Art All Night has been cancelled due to a tragic incident that occurred overnight.

We’re still processing much of this and we don’t have many answers at this time but please know that our staff, our volunteers, our artists and musicians all seem to be healthy and accounted for. Our sincere, heartfelt sympathies are with those who were injured.

We know there are a lot of questions and a lot of speculation at this point. We’re still trying ourselves to piece this entire situation together. What we do know is that we are currently unable to release any submitted artwork that is currently inside the Roebling Wire Works building. That being said, we promise you we’ll be in touch as soon as we have more questions we information on this. We truly appreciate your understanding and patience during this incredibly difficult and confusing situation.

We’re very shocked. We’re deeply saddened. Our hearts ache and our eyes are blurry but our dedication and resolve to building a better Trenton through community, creativity and inspiration will never fade. Not tonight. Not ever.

Photo: Getty Images


Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content