Burlington County Man Sentenced In Fatal Shooting On Crowded Street

A Burlington County man has been sentenced in connection with the fatal shooting of a 24-year-old man on a crowded street last year. Samuel James, 27, of Burlington City, previously pleaded guilty to one count of murder in the death of Byron Turner. Previous counts of possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and unlawful possession of a weapon were dropped.

On Friday, James was sentenced to 30 years in prison without the possibility of parole, Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina said. He has been lodged in Burlington County Jail since he was arrested two days after the shooting.

James was arrested on Aug. 22, 2016, at the home of an acquaintance in Barrington, Camden County, by members of the Burlington County Sheriff's Department Warrant Unit, who were working in conjunction with the U.S. Marshals Service New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force.

In June, he admitted that on Aug. 20, 2016, he fired several shots toward a group of people in the 100 block of East Federal Street in Burlington City, according to Coffina.

A five-year-old-girl in the area was also injured while running from James' gunfire, but she wasn't shot. She was treated and released from Lourdes Medical Center of Burlington County in Willingboro. According to Coffina, James said the bullet that struck Turner in the head and ended his life was meant for someone else.

The attached image of Samuel James was provided by the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office