Authorities identify victims in off-campus shooting, Rutgers releases statement
The Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office and the New Brunswick Police Department have not named any suspects in the shooting and the investigation is active and ongoing.
The Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office and New Brunswick Police Department (NBPD) have identified the two men who died during a shooting early Sunday morning, according to a press release.
Lionel Macauley, a 28-year-old Somerset resident, and Anthony Robinson, a 23-year-old New Brunswick resident, were taken to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital where they died from the injuries sustained in the shooting, according to the release.
The Middlesex County Regional Medical Examiner’s Office performed an autopsy on both individuals and ruled both of their deaths as homicides, with the cause of death confirmed to be gunshot wounds, according to the release.
The Daily Targum previously reported the shooting happened at approximately 1:30 a.m. on Sunday at 32 Delafield St., when four unidentified individuals were recorded on video exiting a vehicle, firing more than 40 shots at a house party and leaving the scene. The party was being held to celebrate Robinson’s 23rd birthday, according to an article from NJ Advance Media.
Eight individuals, including Macauley and Robinson, were originally reported as sustaining gunshot wounds, the Targum reported. Since the initial report, a ninth victim has come forward with minor injuries that did not require hospitalization, according to the release. Currently, four victims remain hospitalized, with three in stable condition and one in serious/critical condition.
Yesterday evening, Rutgers—New Brunswick Chancellor Christopher J. Molloy sent a University-wide email regarding the shooting, which he said took place near campus where a number of students live.
"The two victims who were killed and six others who were injured were not Rutgers students, but the proximity of this tragedy to our community leaves us heartbroken, shaken and concerned about our own safety," he said, according to the email. "On behalf of all of us, I extend sympathies to the families of the deceased, and we will keep all who were injured in our thoughts and prayers."
Molloy said staff members with the Office of Student Affairs and Rutgers University Police Department (RUPD) officers canvassed the area on Sunday to speak to students and community members living on Delafield Street, according to the email.
"Understandably those impacted are shaken, and we will continue to support them in the days and weeks ahead," he said, according to the email.
Molloy said RUPD has enhanced patrols in the area and said students should remain aware of their surroundings, refrain from attending large gatherings and contact law enforcement to report suspicious activity, according to the email.
Authorities have not named any suspects and the investigation is active and ongoing, according to the release. Anyone with information on the shooting is advised to contact the NBPD or the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office.
