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Kevin Dawkins, of Bridgeton, was charged with multiple weapons offenses in connection with the Saturday night shooting during a party with hundreds of people in Cumberland County, state and county officials announced.
Kevin Elliot, 30, and Asia Hester, 25 -- both of Bridgeton -- were killed in the shooting, with one of the other 12 people shot in critical condition, authorities said.
NJ State Police Supt. Col. Patrick Callahan said his department received noise complaints around 11 p.m. at a house on King Drive in Fairfield.
Party-goers from that event are believed to have made their way to 1029 E. Commerce St., the colonel said.
A trooper completing a motor vehicle stop heard what he thought were fireworks or gunfire around 11:30 p.m., Callahan said. While the trooper responded to the scene, 911 dispatchers began getting reports of a shooting at that location, Callahan said.
"This was a birthday party turned deadly," the colonel said.
New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal called the shooting a targeted attack.
"A birthday party is supposed to be a joyous event not a target for those hell bent on inflicting harm on a community," New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy added.
"We cannot normalize what we saw. we will not stop fighting to protect our community."
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