16-Year-Old Charged with Killing Gloucester Twp. Man

A 16-year-old from Edgewater Park faces murder charges for the shooting death of Lamar Ortiz outside of Autumn Ridge Apartments in Blackwood.

But authorities also say Ortiz, 20, was involved in illegal gun activities with his roommate before his death. The Camden County Prosecutor’s Office said Ortiz fired several shots at a van in an April case that had remained unsolved until now.

The unnamed 16-year-old was arrested Tuesday night in Edgewater Park, and had a handgun in his possession, prosecutor’s office spokesman Jason Laughlin said. Authorities believe the teen shot Ortiz during an attempted robbery the night before at Autumn Ridge Apartments on Little Gloucester Road.

Ortiz was shot multiple times and pronounced dead at a local hospital. An unnamed 18-year-old from Marlton also was injured by a grazed bullet to the head.

The Edgewater Park teen is charged with murder, felony murder and attempted murder. He’s being held at Camden County Juvenile Detention Center.

Meanwhile, according to the prosecutor’s office, Ortiz was under investigation when he was killed. Police accuse him and his roommate, Daimon Perez, 21, of selling guns illegally from the apartment complex.

The roommates were under investigation since May, and New Jersey State Police troopers allegedly bought two guns from Perez during the investigation.

Investigators also said Ortiz may have fired as many as nine shots at a van speeding away from the Autumn Ridge Apartment complex’s parking lot on April 27. No one was struck in that incident. Believing Ortiz was responsible, police have now closed that case.

Police searched Ortiz and Perez’s apartment after Ortiz was killed, and reportedly found two guns, 5 pounds of marijuana, 200 narcotic pills, a half-ounce of powder suspected to be heroin and $8,900 in cash.

Perez was arrested and charged with four counts of trafficking firearms illegally. He’s being held in the Camden County Jail on $100,000 full cash bail.

The charges aren’t connected to Ortiz’s death, authorities say.

Funeral services for Ortiz are Saturday in Atco.