1 arrested in Woodbridge, NJ hotel shooting, questions remain

WOODBRIDGE — New details have emerged in the late night shooting at a Delta Suites hotel during a birthday party with the arrest of one of the suspects on charges of attempted murder.

Khalil Burns, 27, of Linden, was arrested on Tuesday in Woodbridge, one of two men wanted in the shooting on July 13 that left four men injured.

The other suspect in the shooting, Gasim Kromah, 26, also of Linden, has not been captured.

Four men ages 20, 22, 23 and 25 sought treatment for apparent gunshot wounds at different hospitals, according to Ciccone. They are identified in the complaint as P.D., S.D., J.W. and Isiah Gregory. S.D. had surgery after the shooting and did not speak with detectives immediately after the shooting.

The complaint in Burns' arrest includes two accounts of what happened in the two rooms at the hotel on Route 1 where the birthday party for Joei Fowler was taking place.

Two accounts of the shooting

P.D. told police he attended the party with his brother and a few friends including Burns. P.D. said he heard gunshots shortly after arriving and realized he had been shot.

Gregory told police Burns drove him to the party in a silver car. Two "girls" had an argument that didn't last long as "everyone calmed down and continued to drink."

The "girls" had another argument and were fighting when "a group of Black males entered the room and a man wearing black clothes" assaulted Burns, according to the affidavit.

When Gregory tried to intervene, he was assaulted on a couch by another male who entered the room. He then heard gunshots that caused everyone to run, according to the complaint.

Police were called at 2:37 a.m. and later collected spent .9mm casings in the hotel and .380mm casings in the parking lot.

Trespassers in Linden

At 2:57 a.m. two males were reported to Linden police walking through a backyard, according to the complaint. No address of the backyard was included in the complaint. The hotel is located 7 miles from the Linden border.

One of the men identified himself as Burns who told police he was with a friend, Gasim Kromah. He is the other man sought by police in connection with the shooting.

Responding officers also found articles of clothing that were partially burned and a Bersa .380 gun on the ground. They also smelled burning clothes. A Tahoe parked near by belonged to Burns’ brother, Antoine Morgan, who was also nearby.

Kromah, Burns and Morgan all had no warrants and were released, according to the complaint. Morgan was later taken into custody along with Gregory. They were each later charged with unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, hindering, obstruction, and tampering with evidence.