Man Charged With Murder In Shooting Death At Mercer Parking Lot

MERCER COUNTY, NJ — A Trenton man has been charged with murder for the May shooting death of Ali Abdullah, Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo J. Onofri said Friday.

Kahiree Peterson, 23, is charged with murder, attempted murder and weapons offenses.

Around 1 a.m. on May 22, Trenton police received three Shot Spotter activations for multiple locations in the 100 block of West Hanover Street, location of State of New Jersey parking lot. More: 1 Killed, 1 Injured In Sunday Shooting At Mercer County Parking Lot

On arrival, officers found Ali Abdullah, 25, lying on the sidewalk suffering a gunshot wound, authorities said. He was taken to Capital Health Regional Medical Center and pronounced dead a short time later.

While officers were at the scene, a second shooting victim arrived at Capital Health Regional Medical Center by private vehicle. The 30-year-old male suffered a gunshot wound to his shoulder area.

Investigators found shell casings on the sidewalk next to the location, Onofri said. Two vehicles were parked in the lot, and one had been struck numerous times.

During investigation, a ballistics alert linked the shell casings from the murder with a shooting that occurred on May 19, on Tioga Street in Trenton, Onofri said.

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, according to Onofri.

Peterson is currently being held at the Mercer County Correction Center on unrelated charges. The prosecutor’s office has filed a motion to detain Peterson pending trial.

Have a correction or news tip? Email sarah.salvadore@patch.com