Princeton High Shooting Victim Recovering At Rehab Center

Candace Braun

Richard Wilson, 17, the Princeton High School student who was shot in Trenton last week, is now recovering at Magee, a rehabilitation center associated with the Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia. He was moved from the hospital to Magee on Monday.

Reportedly suffering from some paralysis in his lower body as a result of the shooting, Mr. Wilson, a Borough resident, is in stable condition, said a hospital spokesperson.

A basketball player at PHS, the student was shot in the back outside a deli at the corner of Hoffman Avenue and Oakland Street early on December 12. He was walking out of the deli with a friend, John Hayes, 18, of Trenton, when a group of black males approached them. Shots were fired at both youths, but only Mr. Wilson was injured. He was rushed to the Capital Health System at Fuld, then later transferred to Thomas Jefferson.

In September, a similar incident occurred when former PHS student Jean Mario Israel, 19, was shot and killed in Trenton. Mr. Israel was said to be a member of the Bloods gang.

However, there has been no connection made thus far between Mr. Wilson and any gang in either Trenton or Princeton, according to both Lt. Dennis McManimon of the Borough Police Department and Anne Burns, president of the Princeton Regional School Board.

"It's an absolute tragedy. We're working with the family to help them out in every way we can and we are just trying to make Richard feel comfortable," said Ms. Burns.

Mr. Wilson was a valued player on the high school's basketball team, and is said to be sorely missed by his teammates (see story on page 33).