walnut street.jpg

The scene at 32 Walnut St., Salem, the tan house at center right, where four teenagers were shot early Saturday morning. The wounds the four suffered were described as non-life threatening.

(Staff Photo By Bill Gallo Jr.)

SALEM — Four city teenagers were shot early Saturday in what authorities say is retaliation in an ongoing feud between rival factions from Salem and Camden.

The incident took place around 1:50 a.m. at 32 Walnut St., according to Salem County Prosecutor John T. Lenahan.

The teens — three males and one female ranging in age from 14 to 17 — were sitting on the step of the home when two males approached from between houses across the street.

The suspects, one with a shotgun and the other with a handgun, fired multiple times, authorities said.

According to Lenahan, the teens were all hit by pellets from the shotgun. The suspect firing the handgun missed his targets.

The unidentified teens, all Salem reisdents, were taken to The Memorial Hospital of Salem County for treatment of their wounds which were described as non-life threatening.

Shell and bullet casings were retrieved from the shooting scene, according to authorities.

The two suspects were described as black males wearing black hoodies.

After the shooting they fled the scene and authorities continued their search for them.

Lenahan said investigators believe the wounding of the four is part of an ongoing feud between rival groups from the city and Camden and was sparked by a murder June 18.

"This is an on going dispute between factions from Camden and Salem, all set off by the shooting of Braheem Long," Lenahan sais Saturday.

Long, originally from Camden, was shot multiple times outside of the apartment where he lived with his family at the Westside Court housing complex on Front Street in Salem.

A day after his death, three Salem men were shot in the legs as they talked outside of a home on Wesley Street, an action Lenahan says he believes was retaliation for Long's death.

Lenahan said the manner in which the teenagers were attacked and the Wesley Street incident were similar.

Authorities are looking at other shootings after Long's death to see if there is any connection, including one which involved the shooting of Long's cousin.

On July 19, David Long, also known as David Harris, from Camden, was shot and wounded near the same at Westside Court spot where Braheem Long was attacked a month earlier.

Authorities believe his shooting, too, was part of the back and forth between the rival Salem and Camden factions.

One suspect, Radulah Lee, has been arrested and charged in Braheem Long's death and Nicole Douglas is being sought in connection with the case.

Suspects in the other shootings in Salem remain at large.

The Salem County Prosecutor's Office is working with the Salem City Police Department in investigating Saturday morning's shootings and the other incidents.

Anyone with information on the shootings should contact Salem County Chief of Detectives Brian Facemyer at 856-935-8119.

Contact South Edition Editor Bill Gallo Jr. at 856-935-1500 ext. 432 or bgallo@southjerseymedia.com

