SECOND ARREST MADE IN EDGEWATER PARK DOUBLE SHOOTING
" A 34-Year-Old Willingboro Man Has Been Charged In Connection To January, 2021 Double Shooting."
June 15, 2021 By Art Fletcher Reporting For: Englebrook Independent News,
EDGEWATER PARK, NJ.- Tuesday, June 15, 2021, Burlington County Scott Coffina and Edgewater Park Township Police Chief Robert D. Hess announced that a 34-year-old Willingboro man has become the second to be charged in the fatal shooting of two people at a party in Edgewater Park, New Jersey, back in January of this year.
David Armstrong 34, of Willingboro, New Jersey has been charged with Two Counts of First Degree Murder; First Degree Conspiracy To Commit Murder; Second Degree Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose, and Second Degree Unlawful Possession of a Weapon. Mr. Armstrong surrendered to authorities this morning at The Willingboro Township Police Department.
Mr. Armstrong's co-defendant, Ronny Paden, 27, of Delran, New Jersey, was arrested May 7th and faces the same charges, along with Second Degree Certain Persons not to Have Firearms. Armstrong was lodged in The Burlington County Jail, in Mount Holly pending a detention hearing in State Superior Court. Paden is presently detained in The Ocean County Jail.
The investigation began after Police were called to a home in the 200 Block of Dogwood Road just before 1:00 a.m. on January 24th and discovered the bodies of James Gist III, of Westhampton and Marcus Thompson, 29, of Willingboro.
Several people had gathered at the house to celebrate a birthday. Gist was shot while seated in the driver's seat of a parked vehicle, while Thompson was struck inside the residence. Both men were pronounced dead at the scene. No other attendees were hit by gunfire. The investigation revealed that neither victim was the intended target.
The Homicide investigation was conducted by The Burlington County Prosecutor's Office, The Edgewater Park Township Police Department, with assistance from The Delran Township Police Department, New Jersey State Police, and The Willingboro Township Police Department. Paden was apprehended by The U.S. Marshals Service NY/NJ Regional Fugitive Task Force, which includes The Burlington County Sheriff's Office.
" The Rules Of The Court Require Us To Include A Statement, Which States: The Charges Are Merely Accusations And The Defendant And Or Defendants Are Presumed Innocent Unless And Until Proven Guilty Beyond A Reasonable Doubt."
FILED UNDER JUNE 15, 2021: LAW, BURLINGTON: