May 08, 2016
Kevin C. Shelly/PhillyVoice
A man waiting to pay respects to his dead grandmother was assassinated on the sidewalk in front of a Camden city funeral home Thursday night. The postponed funeral concluded Friday morning, watched over by a flood of police, who are searching for a suspect called "cowardly" by Camden County Police Chief Scott Thomson.
A Camden man believed to be an accomplice in the fatal shooting of 22-year-old Jonathan Vasquez, who was attacked Thursday morning while waiting in line for his grandmother's funeral, was arrested Sunday in connection to what authorities have described as a "targeted" killing.
The Camden County Prosecutor's Office announced Sunday the arrest of 31-year-old Victor Rodriguez, who police say acted as an accomplice to a shooter who remains at large.
Vasquez was gunned down in a hail of gunfire as 40 people lined up outside the May Funeral Home in the Bergen Square section of the city. He and other mourners were concluding a funeral for 70-year-old family matriarch Rosa Serrano when the gunman opened fire.
Police immediately converged on the scene to investigate and provide security for the family, while Vasquez was transported to Cooper University Hospital for emergency care. He succumbed to his injuries at approximately 6:40 p.m. Thursday.
Camden County Police Chief Scott Thomson called the shooting "disconcerting" and "cowardly," urging citizens to act as a "force multiplier" to track down the shooter.
Charges against Rodriguez have not yet been announced. He has been remanded to the Camden County Jail on $1,000,000 bail.
Anyone with information on the identity and whereabouts of the gunman is urged to contact Camden County Prosecutor’s Office Detective Dennis Convery at 856-365-3279 or Camden County Police Detective Shawn Donlon at 856-757-7420.
