Mercer County corrections officer is shot to death on deck of Trenton restaurant www.privateofficer.com

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TRENTON NJ Nov 12 2012 – A Mercer CountyCorrections officer was shot to death at the Baldassari Regency banquet hallearly Sunday by a gunman who opened fire on a second-floor rear deck from aparking lot below, police said.
Carl Batie, 26, of Willingboro,was off-duty and a patron at a function at the bar and restaurant on Morris Avenue whenthe shooting occurred.
Batie was not alone on the second floor deck, but none ofthe other people with him were injured, Lt. Steve Varn said. Police would notsay whether or not he was the intended target, but Regency owner EddieBaldassari is certain Batie was an innocent victim.
“It’s, really, a real tragedy for that family,” Baldassarisaid. “Unbelievable. I can’t imagine this happening.”
A verbal confrontation between a man who tried to get intothe event and security officers who denied him entry was followed by theshooting by about 20 minutes, Baldassari said. The gunman opened fire on thedeck, which is used as a smoking area, when about 25 to 30 people were gatheredthere, including a guard with “security” written across the back of his shirt.
Baldassari believes the two events are connected, and saidit’s possible the shooter was trying to hit the security guard. Late yesterdaymorning, more than 20 police evidence markers likely denoting shell casingswere left from the 1:15 a.m. shooting.
County corrections officials were notified of the death ofBatie, who graduated the agency’s training academy in May 2008.
“We notified them early this morning, right after itoccurred,” said Varn, head of the department’s detective bureau.
Batie was on the deck around when "numerous" shotswere fired from the Regency parking lot behind the building, Varn said. Policebelieve a single gunman was responsible.
"Carl Batie was an exemplary officer who had a specialplace as a member of the first graduating class of corrections officers,"Mercer County Executive Brian Hughes said in a statement. "He was adedicated public servant, a first-class officer, and respected by all who workedwith him."
Trentonpolice officers working an off-duty security side job at the Regency reactedimmediately after the shooting, searching the area for a suspect, but withoutsuccess. No other injuries were reported.
Detectives will review security camera footage at theRegency and in the area as part of their investigation, Varn said. No arrestshave been made and no suspect description was immediately available.
Batie’s killing is the 20th homicide in Trenton this year. Four homicides each werereported in the months of October and September.
Detective Scott Paterson is the lead investigator, assistedby Detective Bryan Cottrell of the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office. Anyonewith information on the crime should call police at (609) 989-4170, or theConfidential Tip Line at (609) 989-3663.
source-nj.com