By: Tracie Carter
A Trenton man has been found guilty in connection with a deadly shooting that took place during a neighborhood gathering in 2021, Mercer County officials announced.
According to information released by the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office, a jury convicted 40-year-old Matthew Tanner on April 17, on multiple charges, including first-degree murder and several weapons offenses related to the death of Daquan Basnight.
The jury also determined that Tanner qualifies for extended sentencing as a persistent offender.
The investigation, led by the Mercer County Homicide Task Force and Trenton Police, revealed that the shooting occurred in the early morning hours of August 1, 2021, as residents gathered on Stuyvesant Avenue to celebrate "Sha-Day," an annual event honoring a local resident who was killed in 2013.
Police responded to a ShotSpotter alert and multiple 911 calls reporting gunfire shortly after midnight.
Officers arrived to find Basnight unresponsive in the street, suffering multiple gunshot wounds to his face and body. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators recovered 13 spent shell casings and obtained surveillance footage from a nearby business, which showed the victim being ambushed from behind by a lone gunman hiding in a narrow passageway.
The shooter fired several rounds before fleeing the scene.
Tanner was identified as the suspect after detectives observed him in the surveillance footage both before and after the shooting, wearing clothing that matched the gunman’s distinctive outfit.
He was seen standing near Basnight's body just seconds after the final shot was fired.
Tanner was arrested and charged on August 3, 2021. During an interview with detectives, he identified himself in several images pulled from the surveillance footage. 
Evidence presented at trial indicated he had briefly left the gathering to change clothes before returning to carry out the fatal attack.
With the conviction secured, Tanner now awaits sentencing, where he faces the possibility of an extended prison term due to his prior criminal record.