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Pedro E. Rodriguez, 28, of Trenton, NJ, is accused of fatally shooting Mekhi Norman, 28, at The Border Gentlemen’s Club at 440 S. Pennsylvania Ave. on Thursday, Aug. 29, authorities said.
Norman, an innocent bystander, was struck in the head, thigh, and torso while trying to assist staff during an altercation at the club’s doorway around 1:15 a.m., police said. He succumbed to his injuries on Friday, Sept. 6, at a Trenton hospital, according to investigators.
The Middlesex County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled Norman’s death a homicide, citing complications from multiple gunshot wounds, the release stated.
Rodriguez, who has been held in Bucks County Correctional Facility since his arrest hours after the shooting, now faces upgraded charges including criminal homicide, aggravated assault (two counts), simple assault (two counts), discharging a firearm into an occupied structure, possession of an instrument of crime, and recklessly endangering another person (17 counts), according to court documents.
He is scheduled to be arraigned on the new charges on Friday, Dec. 15, at 9 a.m., records show.
Rodriguez fled the scene of the shooting with another man, Kevin Perez, 21, of Trenton, NJ, in a Lexus SUV heading north on Route 1, police said. Perez, who allegedly assaulted staff members before the shooting, faces charges including simple assault (five counts), disorderly conduct (five counts), and harassment (five counts). His next court date is set for later this month.
The investigation was conducted by Bucks County detectives and Morrisville Borough police, with Deputy District Attorney Thomas C. Gannon and Assistant District Attorney David O’Beirne assigned to prosecute the case.
Rodriguez’s criminal record includes previous charges for unsafe equipment and disorderly conduct, court records show.
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