A Vietnam Veteran is dead and an 18-year-old high school senior is charged with murder after police say a minor car accident led to a deadly confrontation in Camden.
On Monday, around 7:30 p.m., police say Allen Briscoe, 66, was driving his pick-up truck down 30th Street to pick up his wife at a relative’s home. He was nearly a block away when investigators say he accidentally struck a 16-year-old pregnant girl who had stepped out into the street.
The girl was knocked down and suffered minor injuries, according to investigators.
Police say the girl’s boyfriend, Aleem Mayes, approached Briscoe and began to argue with him. Briscoe told Mayes he didn’t see the girl and apologized, according to investigators.
"After realizing that he hit this young lady (Briscoe) immediately stopped his car and exited his vehicle to see if she was OK," said Assistant Prosecutor Mary Alison Albright at Mayes' arraignment Wednesday. "While that was happening he was punched in the face and knocked unconscious."
Officials say Mayes' punch caused Briscoe to hit his head on the ground.
Briscoe was taken to Cooper Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 9 p.m. Officials say he suffered an aneurysm caused by the blunt force trauma.
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Briscoe’s niece, Kimberly Gardner, says her uncle would have never left the scene and would have done anything to help the teen girl.
“He was a very caring man,” said Gardner. “For him to lose his life in that manner around the corner, it’s very devastating.”
Mayes was arrested and charged with murder. He has a history of anger management issues, according to authorities.
“I’m sure that this young man didn’t intend that he was going to murder somebody,” said Gardner. “You have to think about your actions and the repercussions of those actions.”
At Mayes' arraignment the judge said the high school senior is a flight risk and set bail at $750,000.
