The effort to make Camden a safer city has paid dividends in some respects, as statistically the number of murders fell from a peak of 67 in 2012 to 34 in 2014.
According to the
Camden County Prosecutor's Office, police were notified of a ShotSpotter activation at approximately 12:35 a.m. on Saturday. When officers arrived at
the 1200 block of Mechanic Street, they found 18-year-old Jameer Bullard lying on the sidewalk with a gunshot wound. Bullard was taken to Cooper University Hospital, where he died shortly afterward.
Bullard, a standout football player at Woodrow Wilson High School, was a junior who played both linebacker and running back for the Tigers over the last three years. He was regarded as a college prospect, with a recruitment offer from Temple and interest from programs at Rutgers and Minnesota, according to Yahoo! Sports.
Woodrow Wilson's new football coach Preston Brown, who knew Bullard and his family for many years, told
NJ.com that Bullard was preparing to attend the Nike Invitational and had an opportunity to play at the next level.
"It's tough, it's a heartbreaker for me, a real emotional time," said Brown. "You push every kid to succeed, but the environment is something you can't control. It's devastating for the entire Camden community. He was such a humble kid, it's such a sad day.
So far, no arrests have been made as police continue to investigate.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Camden County Prosecutor’s Office Detective Anthony Roccia at (856) 365-3122 or Camden County Police Detective Mark Lee at (856) 757-7420.
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