Murdered borough teenager laid to rest
By: Jennifer Potash , Staff Writer  10/01/2004

Police out in force after shooting by a rival gang member in Trenton.

Jean Mario Israel, 18, of Lytle Street was laid to rest following an emotional service at First Baptist Church of Princeton on Thursday afternoon.

Known to family and friends as Mario, Mr. Israel died of gunshot wounds Friday in a Trenton park.

Because of Mr. Israel's known association with a Trenton gang and the nature of his death — he was shot by a rival gang member, according to Trenton Police — unusual precautions were taken on Friday.

Law enforcement officials — from the Princeton Borough and Trenton police departments, the Mercer County Sheriff's Department and the New Jersey State Police — were a heavy presence outside and inside the church, located at Paul Robeson Place and John Street. Paul Robeson Place, between Witherspoon and John streets, was closed to traffic. The nearby Lewis School of Princeton at Bayard Lane and Paul Robeson Place was reported closed for the day.

During the services, the Princeton Township Police Department assisted the borough by patrolling around Princeton High School, where Mr. Israel had once been a student, Princeton Borough Police Lt. Dennis McManimon said.

Mourners passed by borough police officers who exposed them to a hand-held metal detector, a procedure requested by the church, according to the police department. Police and other law enforcement officials followed the funeral cortege to Princeton Cemetery after the church service.

Lt. McManimon said police officers stopped young adults who were wearing gang-related clothing from entering and many of those individuals donned black T-shirts to cover up the gang colors, Lt. McManimon said.

Mr. Israel was allegedly affiliated with the Bloods street gang.

Between 75 and 100 mourners wearing gang colors attended the burial at the cemetery, draped the coffin with a sheet adorned with gang colors and performed salutes to Mr. Israel, Lt. McManimon said.

"They lined up in a military formation in a rolling "B" and made machine-gun sounds," Lt. McManimon said. Perhaps due to the strong presence of law enforcement officers, the participants dispersed quietly at the conclusion of the burial, he said.

The mood in the church was somber, the stillness broken only when members of Mr. Israel's family sobbed with grief when the coffin's lid was shut.

Two school buses from Princeton High School brought dozens of Mr. Israel's former classmates to the service.

The Rev. Carlton E. Branscomb, in a eulogy, described Mr. Israel as a troubled young man who bounced from one foster home to another during his young life but struggled to stay on the right path.

Mr. Israel was charged in connection with a kidnapping and carjacking in the borough in March.

Despite recent troubles, he found stability and love with his foster family, Tommy and Joanne Parker, and their six children, the Rev. Branscomb said.

"The family kept it real and told me that Mario was no angel, but he had a lot of love in his heart," the Rev. Branscomb said. "He stayed strong and kept on fighting."

The Rev. Branscomb called on the adults in the audience to take responsibility to prevent children from falling into gangs or drug addiction.

"In this young man's memory, we must fight together and struggle to make the right decisions," the Rev. Branscomb said. He also implored the teenagers in attendance to turn to a trusted adult rather than a gang.

On Tuesday, Trenton police arrested and charged Arturo McKnight, 21, of Trenton with Mr. Israel's murder.

Mr. Israel appeared to have been killed over a debt of several hundred dollars owed by a friend, according to the Trenton police.

According to Trenton Police Detective Capt. Robert Tedder, a car pulled up to Lamberton Street Park, and the driver sought to collect a debt from Mr. Israel's companion.

The driver, who was a member of the rival Crips street gang, did not want to enter the park as some Bloods members were present, so he sent Mr. McKnight to collect the debt, Capt. Tedder said.

The debt was not from illegal activity, Capt. Tedder said. The driver had simply loaned Mr. Israel's friend about $200 and only $100 had been repaid.

Words were reportedly exchanged among Mr. McKnight, Mr. Israel and Mr. Israel's friend. Mr. Israel's friend then ran off and Mr. Israel followed, Capt. Tedder said.

"(Mr. McKnight) pulled out a gun and started shooting," Capt. Tedder said.

Mr. Israel was shot in the abdomen and later was pronounced dead at Capital Health System's Fuld Campus.

Mr. McKnight, who is believed to be a Crips gang member, was arrested without incident early Tuesday morning at a Mount Holly apartment where he had been hiding, Capt. Tedder said.

Based on Mr. Israel's alleged gang ties, borough police on Friday patrolled the streets where Mr. Israel had previously lived.

The police have met several times with the staff at Princeton High School to inform the school administration of the incident and to raise awareness about potential gang activity, Lt. McManimon said.  

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=13045911&BRD=1091&PAG=461&dept_id=425695&rfi=6

Another quality gangbanger got what he deserved.

Quoted: SNIP Lt. McManimon said police officers stopped young adults who were wearing gang-related clothing from entering and many of those individuals donned black T-shirts to cover up the gang colors, Lt. McManimon said. Mr. Israel was allegedly affiliated with the Bloods street gang. Between 75 and 100 mourners wearing gang colors attended the burial at the cemetery, draped the coffin with a sheet adorned with gang colors and performed salutes

That seemed like a perfect time to round up the gang members.  Well there is now one less piece of shit on the streets.

Quoted: Another quality gangbanger got what he deserved.

+1

Quoted: Another quality gangbanger got what he deserved.

+2

Ah, the means to an end.  Maybe his buddies will receive some machine gun fire, yes?

I felt bad for this waste of a spleen  for about .0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000001/100000 of a second.

You reap what you sow, gangboy.

Sayonara, asshole.

SG

I wonder how many busts the cops would have made if they started checking for warrants? oh no, that'd be profiling and unconstitutional. It's better to be PC and let a bunch of drug dealers, murders, rapists, etc back on the street then offend anyone.  They had all the shit bags in one building and i'm willing to bet almost all of them weren't saints.

I sure hope the cops had a cameraman or 30 hidden in the AO busilyh snapping pics. Lots of intel to be gathered.

Quoted: I wonder how many busts the cops would have made if they started checking for warrants? oh no, that'd be profiling and unconstitutional. It's better to be PC and let a bunch of drug dealers, murders, rapists, etc back on the street then offend anyone.  They had all the shit bags in one building and i'm willing to bet almost all of them weren't saints.

You're preaching to the choir here.  Fuck you, Constitution!

At least he's dead.  Hopefully the rest will kill themselves off and we will be done with these subhumans

Couldn't it be made law that gang-colors on the operating table are implied consent for organ donation?

What a waste of tax payer dollars for a POS banger. If the funeral was a big security risk, the city should bill that guy's family for all the police that were working it. It digusts me that the police would expend resources to serve as security gaurds for a gang funeral and provide school buses for thugs to ride. I hope the revenge shootings start soon.

Quoted: What a waste of tax payer dollars for a POS banger. If the funeral was a big security risk, the city should bill that guy's family for all the police that were working it. It digusts me that the police would expend resources to serve as security gaurds for a gang funeral and provide school buses for thugs to ride. I hope the revenge shootings start soon.

+ more than a few!!!

" This wasn't a war over just any sneakers.....these.....were Nikes..."

This isn't a strange thing, well okay it is strange, but not in ghetto culture.  Doesn't anyone else remember "BBBBBBB stick em, ha ha ha stick em"

*Yawn*


No one productive lost?

Move along, nothing to see here.


- BG

I know someone who works in the charity hospital system and he said that we should give gang members shooting lessons. In that way when they shoot at each other they will hit another gang member instead of someone walking down the street. And oh yea teach them the vital kill zones in that way all your resources won't be used up patching them up. But everyone knows that it is the guns fault anyway.

edited to say that maybe we can start a ar15.com club to give shooting lessons to gang members. Do it for the all the children that will not be born to gang members.

Behold, the ghetto culture.  Ignorance at its most virulent.