A Trenton man has been charged with the May 2022 murder of Ali Abdullah, Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo J. Onofri reported.
According to Mercer County officials, Mr. Kahiree Peterson, 23, is charged with murder, attempted murder and weapons offenses.
He was served his complaints this week at the Mercer County Correction Center, where he is being held on unrelated charges. The prosecutor’s office has filed a motion to detain Peterson pending trial.
The charges resulted from an investigation by the Mercer County Homicide Task Force and the Trenton Police Department.
Officials say at approximately 1 a.m. on May 22, 2022, Trenton police received three ShotSpotter activations for multiple locations in the 100 block of West Hanover Street.
Upon arrival, officers located an adult male lying on the sidewalk, suffering a gunshot wound. He was transported to Capital Health Regional Medical Center and pronounced dead a short time later. Police identified the victim as Mr. Ali Abdullah, 25, of Trenton.
According to police, while officers were on the scene, a second shooting victim arrived in a private vehicle at Capital Health Regional Medical Center. The 30-year-old male suffered a gunshot wound to his shoulder area.
Most of the scene was located on the side of 142 West Hanover Street in the State of New Jersey parking lot. Numerous shell casings were found on the sidewalk by Detectives next to the location.
Police said two vehicles were parked in the lot, and one had been struck numerous times.
During the investigation, police said, a ballistics alert linked the shell casings from the murder with a shooting that occurred on May 19, 2022, on Tioga Street in Trenton.
The Shooting Response Team executed a search warrant at Peterson’s residence and recovered a .45 caliber Kimber handgun and ammunition that matched evidence collected during the homicide investigation.
Despite being charged, every defendant is presumed innocent until found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.