NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ—City police patrolling the Fourth Ward of the city heard three or four gunshots emanating from the parking lot of a fast food restaurant at about 6pm on Janury 9, according to police radio transmissions.
Eventually investigators determined that gunfire took place near the McDonald’s on Route 27, near the CoachUSA bus station and the Schwartz Homes public housing complex.
“The building got hit multiple times here,” said one offficer over the police radio. “There’s shattered windows here. The rounds actually went through McDonald’s here.”
Another officer radioed to say that the incident involved four men who fled on foot after the shots rang out.
Before city police had figured out the exact location of the shooting, they appear to have chased someone in the same area, according to the transmissions. But it’s unclear if that person was the shooter, or if they were ultimately arrested.
“One male running, Van Dyke towards Wright Place. Grey hoodie, dark blue jeans, [black] male,” said one officer.
Two weeks earlier, on December 29, the same area was the scene of a shooting that injured two men just two blocks away from the McDonald’s.
Because that incident occurred on the other side of Route 27, in Franklin Township, it was investigated by the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office.
According to NJ.com’s Craig McCarthy, a preliminary police investigation determined that the shooting was not random, and the victims, who were not named, were targeted.
New Brunswick Police Department (NBPD) did not respond to a request for information about the January 9 shooting.
As we reported, the NBPD’s civilian Director Anthony Caputo is insisting on ending the public’s ability to listen to police radio transmissions.
Charlie is the founder and editor of New Brunswick Today, and the winner of the Awbrey Award for Community-Oriented Local Journalism. He is a proud Rutgers University journalism graduate, a community organizer, and a former independent candidate for mayor of New Brunswick.
