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Dangerous game with a gun takes the life of a 'bright young star' in Camden

Jim Walsh
The Courier-Post
Nasir Mason, 19, and Morton Newman, 20, of Camden are charged in connection with a fatal shooting.

CAMDEN - Two city men face charges after the death of a 19-year-old in an apparent accidental shooting, authorities say.

Nasir Mason, 19, and Morton Newman, 20, are accused of aggravated assault in connection with the fatal shooting of Diquese "Dino" Young, according to the Camden County Prosecutor's Office.

Young, a former homecoming king at Woodrow Wilson High School, died after the three men allegedly took turns pulling the trigger of a loaded gun on Sunday night, according to a court record.

The shooting occurred at Newman's home on the 2500 block of Baird Boulevard.

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Newman told investigators he spun the cylinder of a revolver "and pulled the trigger without the gun going off," according to a probable cause statement for his arrest.

Mason said he then pulled the trigger, also without consequence, and handed the gun to Young, according to the statement. The victim "proceeded to pull the trigger with the gun going off, striking him in the head," it said.

Woodrow Wilson's Diquese 'Dino' Young competes in the long jump during the Camden County Outdoor Track Championship in May 2017.

A member of Newman's family drove Young to MD Anderson Cancer Center in downtown Camden, thinking it was nearby Cooper University Hospital.

Camden County police officers found Young around 8:30 p.m. Sunday after responding to a report of a gunshot victim at the cancer center.

Young was taken to Cooper University Hospital, where he died shortly before 1 p.m. Tuesday.

Young, a 2018 Woodrow Wilson graduate, was honored in February 2017 as one of the city's 30 "most-improved students."

He was a football and track star at the school "and was well-loved by all in the (Woodrow Wilson) community," said Maita Soukup, a school district spokeswoman.

"Losing such a bright young star to violence is heartbreaking and something that never gets easier," acting school district Superintendent Katrina McCombs said Thursday.

She called Young "a young man who showed us all how to work hard, be positive, and never give up."

An investigation into the shooting continues, the prosecutor's office said.

Criminal complaints allege Newman and Mason showed "extreme indifference to the value of human life" during Sunday night's incident.

Thy are also charged with aggravated assault by pointing a weapon and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, the prosecutor's office said.

Mason is charged with possessing a gun illegally due to a prior conviction for a drug offense.

The prosecutor's office did not mention any homicide charges in connection with Young's death.

Newman and Mason are being held in Camden County Jail pending detention hearings.

Young is the 17th person to die violently in Camden this year. That compares to 23 violent deaths, including a police-involved shooting, in the same period of 2017.

Jim Walsh: @jimwalsh_cp; 856-486-2646; jwalsh@gannettnj.com

 

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