Crime & Safety
Man Shot, Killed At Applebee's Near Quakerbridge Mall
The victim was apparently sitting at the bar when he was shot in the head, authorities said. The 23-year-old father was identified.
LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ -- His girlfriend didn't know how to break it to their daughter, the fact that 23-year-old Devin Smith was dead. Briana Anderson was still trying to keep it together late Tuesday, hours after Smith was fatally shot in the head at an Applebee's in New Jersey.
"No matter what we’ve been through, you still made a way to make me smile!" Briana Anderson wrote on Facebook, in a tribute to Smith that included a picture of the couple and their daughter, Olivia.
Smith was shot and killed at a bar in an Applebee’s near the popular Quakerbridge Mall in Central Jersey early Tuesday morning, authorities said. The shooting happened around 12:25 a.m. at the restaurant in Lawrenceville, across a service road from the mall.
Find out what's happening in Lawrencevillefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Smith, a Lawrence Township native, was identified by the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office as the victim. He was seated at the bar at Applebee’s when he was shot in the head, according to the MCPO.
The suspect, described as a black male in his mid 20s, then fled the property in a dark-colored SVU. The two reportedly had an unresolved feud, according to the Trentonian.
Find out what's happening in Lawrencevillefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Smith was pronounced dead at the scene. No other injuries were reported. The area was taped off early Tuesday, and a normally busy Dunkin Donuts was empty.
The investigation is ongoing and no arrests have been made. Anyone with information is asked to call Sgt. Gary Wasko or Detective Michael Hughes of the Mercer County Homicide Task Force at (609) 989-6406.
Friends and others who knew about the situation took to social media to honor Smith and to describe him as a carefree, fun friend and father. Anderson posted a video of him at a club and mentioned that the two have a daughter.
"Thank you for the greatest gift ever. I can cherish Olivia for the rest of her life and to know you will always be looking down on her, seeing the beautiful smart and intelligent young lady she will grow into," Anderson wrote.
Here are some of the posts, including the video:
Lots of police at Applebee’s restaurant on Rt.1 in Lawrenceville NJ just across parking lot from Quakerbridge Mall Macy’s 1/2 @FOX29philly pic.twitter.com/Hn7T2dIueS
— Steve Keeley (@KeeleyFox29) November 14, 2017
@cjfirebuffs NJ - Mercer - LAWRENCE TWP - GUNSHOT victim - 25 y/o male shot in head updated victim DOA Applebees on Route 1
— Seth Callen (@sethboyardee) November 14, 2017
Watch Now: Man Shot, Killed At Applebee's Near Quakerbridge Mall
Video/photo courtesy of Fox29
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