In the late hours of a Sunday evening in November 2018, the city of Trenton was once again the scene of deadly violence. A 27-year-old Hispanic male from Philadelphia named Eric Severino was discovered in his white SUV, suffering from a fatal gunshot wound to the chest. The incident occurred around 10:30 p.m. in the Wilbur section of the city, near the intersection of Walnut Avenue and Monmouth Street, an area not far from Trenton Central High School.
Emergency services were dispatched to the scene after reports of approximately 10 gunshots. Upon their arrival, they found Severino in critical condition. He was rushed to St. Francis Medical Center, but tragically, he went into cardiac arrest shortly after medics arrived and was pronounced dead a short time later.
The investigation into Severino's death quickly pointed towards a drug deal that had taken a violent turn. Law enforcement sources believed the shooting was the result of a robbery during a transaction involving heroin. It was later revealed through court documents that Severino and an associate had traveled to Trenton from Philadelphia with the intention of selling a significant quantity of heroin, reportedly valued at $1,000, to a buyer they had met several weeks prior. According to the surviving witness, they had arranged to meet the buyer that night.
The events that unfolded were swift and brutal. The buyer reportedly entered their vehicle, brandished a firearm, and shot Severino. As the witness fled on foot, more shots were fired in his direction. The subsequent investigation by the Mercer County Homicide Task Force led them to a suspect, Issiaha Bivens, a 20-year-old resident of Ewing. Crucial evidence linked Bivens to the crime, including the tracking of the buyer's cell phone to his residence on Upland Avenue. A search of his home uncovered the clothing the shooter was wearing and a large quantity of heroin. Furthermore, Bivens' fingerprints were found on the front passenger door of Severino's SUV.
In January 2019, Issiaha Bivens was arrested and faced a litany of charges, including murder, felony murder, robbery, attempted murder, theft, aggravated assault, and weapons offenses in connection with the death of Eric Severino. The arrest brought a measure of progress in a case that had added to a string of gun violence plaguing the city at the time.
