August 26, 2020

Read previous MidJersey.News story on this shooting here: Trenton Shooting Makes 25th Homicide of 2020 – Ties 2007, Murder Record

TRENTON, NJ (MERCER)–A Trenton man has been arrested and charged with last week’s shooting homicide of Rahkeem Ortiz, Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo J. Onofri reported.

Arthur Ford, 29, of Home Avenue, is charged with murder and weapons offenses.  There is no scheduled court appearance at this time.  He was taken into custody Tuesday evening in Pocomoke, Maryland, at a family member’s home by members of the U.S. Marshals Regional Fugitive Task Force.  He is currently being held in Worchester County Jail pending extradition. 

The charges are the result of an investigation by the Mercer County Homicide Task Force.  At approximately 1:40 p.m. on Monday, August 17, 2020, Trenton police responded to a shooting in progress in the area of the Broad Street Parking Lot on South Broad Street.  Officers arrived on scene at the public parking lot and located the victim, later identified as 29-year-old Rahkeem Ortiz of Blackwood, NJ, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.  Ortiz was transported to the hospital where he was pronounced dead a short time later.

After the shooting, the Trenton Police Department’s Communications Center received several calls with descriptions of a black male fleeing the area.  Homicide detectives were able to canvas the area and locate multiple surveillance cameras.  Through video footage and witness statements, detectives were able to positively identify Ford as the shooter.

Despite having been charged, every defendant is presumed innocent until found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Photos by: Brian McCarthy OnScene News

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