10 People Wounded in Trenton Drive-By Shooting

Ten people were wounded in a drive-by shooting at a New Jersey bar. Police in Trenton say that a gunman opened fire just after midnight at that city’s Ramoneros Liquor and Bar.

Officers who responded to the scene said that they found injured people both outside and inside the bar. Trenton police spokesman Capt. Stephen Varn shared that five men and five women were taken to nearby hospitals. One of the victims was critically wounded. 

Mayor Gusciora told the New York Times that all of the shooting victims were expected to survive. Police are investigating whether or not the shooting was gang-related, and Gusciora explained that gatherings like the one outside the bar are frequently “an easy target” for settling grudges. 

“We don’t really have traditional gangs. We have neighborhoods that go against other neighborhoods, and it’s that kind of conflict that arises often in the city, and we expect it’s going to continue, especially in the summer months,” he told the Times.

Senator Cory Booker weighed in on Trenton’s gun violence problem—the city has suffered two mass shootings in the last year—and noted the need for the capital city to lessen incidents like this if it hopes for reinvestment. 

“I think Trenton has so much of what it needs to thrive, but violence is always going to push away investment, and that’s why to get the kind of support and help they need, to drive down the rates of violence, is critical,” he said.