By Alyssa Mease
The Times of Trenton
MERCER COUNTY, NJ — A Trenton man yesterday pleaded not guilty in the shooting death of an off-duty corrections officer in November 2012.
Hykeem Tucker, 27, is charged with murder, second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, second-degree unlawful possession of a handgun and three counts of fourth-degree aggravated assault for pointing a firearm at three other people, the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office said.
On Nov. 11, 2012, Carl Batie, 26, attended a party at the Baldassari Regency banquet hall on Morris Avenue in Trenton. He was in a crowd of about 30 people on the restaurant’s balcony at 1:15 a.m. when Maurice Skillman, 27, allegedly opened fire on the crowd with Tucker at his side, prosecutors said.
One of the 22 bullets fired into the crowd struck Batie in the head, killing him almost instantly, officials have said.
Full story: Trenton man denies role in fatal shooting of corrections officer