Bridgeton shooting: Victims identified, one arrest made after mass shooting at NJ house party
Bridgeton shooting: Victims identified, one arrest made after mass shooting at NJ house party
Kevin Elliot, 30, and Asia Hester, 25, have been identified as the two people who were killed when gunfire broke out at a large house party in Bridgeton New Jersey Saturday night. So far, one arrest has been made.
FAIRFIELD TWP., N.J. - Authorities in New Jersey provided new details Monday on a mass shooting at a Bridgeton house party that claimed the lives of two people and left 12 others injured by gunfire.
New Jersey State Police say troopers responded to a report of a shooting at a home at 1029 East Commerce Street in Fairfield Township, Cumberland County around 11:50 p.m. Saturday night.
Monday morning, New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal unveiled that the shooting was not random a random act of violence, but rather a targeted act.
He identified the deceased victims as Kevin Elliot, 30, and Asia Hester, 25. Both were Bridgeton, New Jersey residents.
Of the other 12 victims who were injured by gunfire during the shooting, authorities say several remain in serious condition. They range in age from 19 to 35, and all live within Cumberland County.
SKYFOX was over the scene where police say a shooting at a large house party left two people dead.
Authorities say they have recovered multiple firearms and shell casings from the scene and are working with federal officials to determine where the guns came from and whether they can be linked to other recent acts of violence in the area.
So far, one arrest has been made and Grewal says he anticipates the possibility of more arrests as the case progresses. Kevin Dawkins, 36, was arrested Sunday and charged with unlawful possession of a weapon, unlawful possession of a large-capacity magazine, and related offenses.
Given the size of the party, which has been reported to have been attended by more than 100 people, authorities say there is a significant amount of evidence to process.
Kevin Dawkins, 36, was arrested following a mass shooting in Bridgeton over the weekend and is facing multiple weapons charges.
New Jersey State Police Colonel Patrick Callahan says police also responded to a noise complaint at another party nearby around 11 p.m. Saturday night. Investigators believe people who were at that party may have made their way to the party on East Commerce Street around 11 p.m. when their party had broken up.
MORE: Man, woman dead, 12 others injured after shooting at Bridgeton, NJ party
Col. Callahan says shortly after 11:30 p.m., a trooper who was just completing a traffic stop heard what he thought was fireworks or gunfire, and immediately responded to the party. At the same time, 9-1-1 dispatchers started receiving phone calls.
Callahan added that many who were in attendance, and even those who were shot, had left the scene by the time most law enforcement had arrived.
In addition to the ballistic evidence at the scene, authorities are also conducting witness interviews, collecting digital evidence, and executing search warrants.
"What we saw here in Fairfield is a microcosm of the scale of gun violence we see elsewhere, in other communities in our state and across the country," New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said Monday morning. "We are at the point where this kind of horrific scene is almost part of our daily lives. It has become commonplace. If there is one thing we can never normalize, it is senseless gun violence."
The New Jersey State Police and Cumberland County Prosecutor's Office are leading the investigation with the support of state and federal partners.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the New Jersey State Police Bridgeton Station at 856-451-0101 or submit a tip via the Cumberland County Prosecutor’s Office tip website at www.njccpo.org/tips. Anonymous tips are welcome.
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