Unique Anderson, an 18-year-old male from Trenton, New Jersey, tragically lost his life on the night of May 27, 2019. He was the fatal victim of a mass shooting that erupted on Walnut Avenue, an event that also left five other individuals wounded. The incident occurred just after 11:30 p.m., capping off a violent holiday weekend in the city. Responding officers discovered Anderson at the scene with multiple gunshot wounds.
He was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead a short time later.
The shooting took place on the 100 block of Walnut Avenue, a street described as being marked by dilapidated and abandoned homes. A witness recounted hearing what they initially thought were fireworks, estimating at least 30 shots were fired. In the days following the shooting, memorials to Anderson, who was also known by the nickname “Boogie,” appeared on the walls of the neighborhood where he was killed. Friends and community members remembered him as a 'nice kid.'
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, the motive for the attack remained under investigation. Law enforcement officials stated that there was no initial indication that the shooting was connected to another mass shooting that had occurred just days earlier in Trenton. As of early June 2019, no arrests had been made in connection with the shooting that killed Unique Anderson and injured five others. The case was part of a series of violent incidents that prompted a partnership between state and federal law enforcement to combat crime in the city.
