Trenton Ties Homicide Record Set in 2005

Trenton Police are investigating the 31st homicide in the city this year, tying the record set in 2005.

Police tell NBC10 that a man was shot and killed around 9:15 p.m. on the 200 block of Brunswick Avenue. That man's identity hasn't been released.

Twenty-seven of this year's killings have been carried out with guns. Two were classified as justifiable police homicide.

The increase comes two years after Trenton laid off 105 police officers and demoted 27 others because of budget woes. With 241 officers, the department is at its lowest staffing levels anyone can remember, said Police Director Ralph Rivera Jr.

New Jersey has some of the nation's toughest gun laws, and dozens of bills have been introduced to strengthen them in the wake of the Newtown, Conn., school shooting in December.

Eleven have been signed into law by Gov. Chris Christie, although earlier this month the governor vetoed three of the toughest measures. They include a ban on .50 caliber rifles and an overhaul to the state's gun permitting system.

Many of the illegal guns in Trenton and around New Jersey are coming from out of state. According to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, only about 20 percent of the firearms seized in 2012 originated in New Jersey.

"They're coming from all over. They're coming from out of state,'' said Mercer County Prosecutor Joseph L. Bocchini Jr. "They're coming from homes that have been burglarized and weapons stolen. Right across the Delaware River from Trenton is Pennsylvania. It's easier to buy a handgun in Pennsylvania and bring it back to New Jersey.''