Authorities are investigating the fatal shooting of a man inside the Applebee's restaurant in Lawrence early Tuesday, the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office said.The crime occurred at about 12:25 a.m. at the the restaurant on Route 1 north.
Authorities said the victim was specifically targeted and shot in the back of the head and neck while at the bar.
No other injuries were reported. The restaurant closes nightly at 1 a.m.
The victim was not immediately identified and no arrests or other information was immediately available. The office said they would have more information available later Tuesday.
"It's very unusual to have a homicide in an establishment like an Applebee's - a family restaurant," Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo Onofri said. "It goes to illustrate how violence has proliferated, and that no community is exempt from violence."
Onofri declined to discuss specifics of the investigation.
Investigators from the Lawrence police department and the prosecutor's homicide task force remained at the scene later Tuesday morning, and the establishment remained closed, surrounded by crime scene tape.
Reporter Kevin Shea contributed to this report. nj
Authorities said the victim was specifically targeted and shot in the back of the head and neck while at the bar.
No other injuries were reported. The restaurant closes nightly at 1 a.m.
The victim was not immediately identified and no arrests or other information was immediately available. The office said they would have more information available later Tuesday.
"It's very unusual to have a homicide in an establishment like an Applebee's - a family restaurant," Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo Onofri said. "It goes to illustrate how violence has proliferated, and that no community is exempt from violence."
Onofri declined to discuss specifics of the investigation.
Investigators from the Lawrence police department and the prosecutor's homicide task force remained at the scene later Tuesday morning, and the establishment remained closed, surrounded by crime scene tape.
Reporter Kevin Shea contributed to this report. nj