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TRENTON
- Attorney General Anne Milgram and Criminal
Justice Director Deborah L. Gramiccioni announced
that a Camden man was sentenced to state prison
today for shooting two men in separate incidents
in 2007 that were investigated by the Camden
Shoot Team under the CeaseFire program.
Kareem
Anderson, 27, of Camden, was sentenced to
eight years in state prison, including nearly
seven years without possibility of parole,
by Superior Court Judge Irvin J. Snyder in
Camden County. Anderson pleaded guilty on
Dec. 9 to two counts of aggravated assault.
He was sentenced to eight years in prison
on each of the charges, with the sentences
to be served concurrently. He must serve at
least 85 percent of the eight years under
New Jersey’s No Early Release Act.
Deputy
Attorney General Kristen Harberg, assigned
to CeaseFire in Camden, prosecuted the case
and handled the sentencing for the Division
of Criminal Justice Gangs & Organized
Crime Bureau.
In
pleading guilty, Anderson admitted that on
April 25, 2007, he fired multiple rounds at
a 26-year-old victim in Camden, striking him
once in the leg. The investigation by the
Camden Shoot Team revealed that the victim
was arriving for work on Morgan Boulevard
about 10 a.m., when he drove too close to
a friend of Anderson’s while parking.
The victim and the friend got into a fist
fight, during which Anderson drew a handgun
and fired several shots at the victim, hitting
him in the thigh as he ran away.
Anderson
further admitted that on May 17, 2007, he
fired multiple times at a 17-year-old victim
in Camden, striking him in the head. The investigation
by the Camden Shoot Team determined that the
victim was walking home on South 10th Street
about 1 a.m., when Anderson and another individual
ordered him to lie on the ground. The victim
complied, and Anderson and his accomplice
took the victim’s watch and searched
him for other valuables. Anderson then fired
at the victim as he lay on the ground, striking
him in the head, abdomen, back and hand. The
victim survived his wounds.
“This
defendant is going to prison because of the
diligent efforts of members of the Camden
Shoot Team who investigated these shootings
under the CeaseFire program,” said Attorney
General Milgram. “By conducting intensive
investigations to secure evidence quickly
before it was lost and obtain witness statements
before potential witnesses disappeared, investigators
were able to solve these shootings and bring
this violent offender to justice.”
The
Shoot Team in Camden is made up of detectives
and investigators from the New Jersey State
Police, the Camden City Police Department
and the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office.
Attorney General Milgram credited all of the
Shoot Team investigators for their exemplary
work.
For
the investigation of the April 25 shooting,
Attorney General Milgram commended Detective
Joseph Loschiavo of the State Police, who
was lead detective; Detective Terrell Watkins
of the Camden Police Department; Lt. Matthew
Kuehn of the State Police; Investigator William
Townsend of the Camden County Prosecutor's
Office; Sgt William M. Stolinski Sr. of the
State Police; and Officer Keith James of the
Camden Police Department.
For
the investigation of the May 17 shooting,
Attorney General Milgram commended Detective
Gabriel Camacho of the Camden Police Department,
who was lead detective; Investigator William
Townsend of the Camden County Prosecutor's
Office; Detective Carmello Villegas of the
Camden Police Department; Sgt. John F. Day
Sr. of the State Police; and Sgt. William
M. Stolinski Sr. of the State Police.
Under
the CeaseFire program, the Shoot Team in Camden
responds to all non-fatal shootings within
the city limits of Camden, conducting an intensive
investigation of each shooting as if it were
a homicide. The Camden County Prosecutor’s
Office prosecutes most of the resulting cases,
while the Division of Criminal Justice within
the Attorney General’s Office also handles
some cases.
In
addition to the law enforcement component,
the second crucial component of CeaseFire
is community outreach. Trained community outreach
workers who have familiarity and connections
with the City of Camden visit shooting victims
and witnesses and provide support and encouragement
for them to work with law enforcement. They
also sponsor various community programs aimed
at reducing violence and counteracting the
“no snitching” mentality which
has hampered law enforcement efforts to solve
crimes and make Camden safer.
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