Camden man, 23, shot to death

A 23-year-old Camden man was shot and killed Monday evening, the city's 49th homicide this year.

Darnell Lopez was shot once in the upper torso just before 5:30 p.m. in front of a minimarket on the 1100 block of Yorkship Square, about three blocks from Camden Mayor Dana L. Redd's home.

Lopez was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at Cooper University Hospital, said Capt. Ron Moten of the Camden County Prosecutor's Office.

Police found no witnesses. They hope to get possible leads from Lopez's family, Moten said. Lopez's last known address was on Kenwood Avenue in the Parkside neighborhood, about three miles from the scene of the shooting.

Lopez was paroled in February 2010, according to the state Department of Corrections. He served 10 months for distributing drugs on school property and unlawful possession of a handgun.

This is the first homicide since the state police presence surged Camden in response to the uptick in crime, and calls from Redd and Camden County Prosecutor Warren W. Faulk for assistance for the police force, which had massive layoffs in January.

In January, Redd laid off 168 officers, nearly half of the force, due to a large budget deficit. The city has rehired more than 100, though up to 50 have left or plan to leave soon, union officials have said. Camden now has about 260 officers on its roster.

Gov. Christie ordered the reinforcements in Camden the week of Dec. 12. Officials have not released the number of police officers who are operating in Camden.

On Friday night, a man was fatally shot by a trooper during what appeared to be an interrupted drug deal in Camden, state police said.

Camden had 38 homicides at this time last year.