A New Jersey cookout turned deadly Sunday when “dastardly and evil” gunmen walked into the crowd and began firing — leaving two dead and eight more wounded, according to officials.

The carnage broke out just after midnight Sunday on Locust Street in Trenton, where up to 200 people were partying outside a row house.

That’s when gunshots broke out, with terrified partygoers initially thinking the danger had passed before two more rounds erupted.

Trenton Police officers block the street where multiple people were shot in the New Jersey capital.

“Everybody was having fun. Music was playing. Everybody’s having fun. Then seconds later the shots just went off,” a witness told NBC 10. “I just heard two shots first, and then about 10 more after that, and then 10 more after.”

Ten people were then rushed to a nearby hospital — where a woman claiming to be a victim’s aunt said her nephew had been shot in the head.

It remains unclear if that victim was among the dead, but a 33-year-old woman and a 44-year-old man died in the shooting.

The male victim was a recently released convict who Trenton Mayor W. Reed Gusciora said had made strides to put his life back together before his murder.

“We understand that one of the individuals who lost his life had been working to turn his life around after returning home from incarceration and had recently been recognized for his commitment to reentry and positive change,” the mayor said in a statement.

The other victims’ conditions remain unclear.

Trenton Police officers work the scene where multiple people were shot in the area of Locust Street in Trenton, New Jersey, on August 30, 2026.

Trenton police outside Capital Health Regional Medical Center on August 30, 2026, in Trenton, New Jersey.

It also remains unclear what sparked the shooting and whether the victims were the targets.

Early reports suggested the shots broke out during an argument between a half dozen people, while local officials told NBC 10 “multiple suspects walked up to the party and began to fire into the crowd.”

The mayor also described the cookout as an “unauthorized party” which “got out of control” and police were trying to corral.

No suspects had been named by Sunday evening.

“There are people in this city and others that are just dastardly and evil,” Trenton police director Steve Wilson told reporters. “It doesn’t matter who’s around, they are just intent on destruction.”

Source: https://nypost.com/2026/08/30/us-news/trenton-nj-mass-shooting-leaves-2-dead-11-hurt/