National

Girl asleep in bed killed when stray bullet strikes home

BRIDGETON, N.J. – Hours after a 9-year-old girl was killed when stray gunfire pierced her home while she was asleep in bed early Tuesday, police asked the community for help and the victim's family asked their neighbors for love.

Bridgeton police said they responded to the area around 12:30 a.m. Tuesday for reports of gunshots.

When they arrived, police found family members transporting the victim, Jennifer "Chikis" Trejo, to a hospital, where she died a short time later, authorities said.

Bridgeton Police Chief Michael Gaimari said officers identified a second crime scene a block away where one or more people fired several shots.

Gaimari said gunfire entered a rear wall of the victim’s home and struck her in an adjacent room. Gaimari said several vehicles in the area were also hit by gunfire.

Authorities announced they're offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the shooting.

Neighbors gathered Tuesday afternoon outside a white home where community members said the girl lived.

Jalana Walker, 21, lives on the same block where the shooting occurred. Walker said she was struck in the right leg by gunfire in a similar incident last summer.

Walker began to cry over the state of her neighborhood.

“It’s the same stuff over and over, and it’s sad, it don’t gotta be like that,” Walker said. “We love everybody, we show everybody love, it don’t gotta be like that."

Deacon Arnaldo Santos of Bridgeton’s Parish of the Holy Cross said he is helping the family of the victim plan services for the young girl.

“The family needs privacy at this time, and right now we’re just working through everything with them,” Santos said. “It’s a very difficult time and the family is asking the community for love. That’s what they really need.”

According to Gaimari, authorities have interviewed dozens of people and were turning to the community for assistance in the investigation.

“We need the public’s help in general, but when an incident such as this happens to such a young and innocent victim we could really use the assistance in bringing those responsible to justice immediately,” Gaimari said.

Gaimari said “police presence in the area will increase in an effort to curb the tensions there and develop information on the shooting.”

Bridgeton police and the Cumberland County Prosecutor’s Office are handling the investigation.