Mercer Man Convicted In 2021 Fatal Shooting During Community Memorial Event

MERCER COUNTY, NJ - A Mercer County man was convicted last week in the 2021 fatal shooting of Daquan Basnight, Prosecutor Janetta D. Marbrey said Tuesday.

On April 17, a Mercer County jury found Matthew Tanner, 40, guilty on all charges, including first-degree murder, two second-degree weapons offenses, and a second-degree certain persons offense.

The jury also determined Tanner is eligible for extended sentencing as a persistent offender.

The shooting occurred during "Sha-Day," an annual community gathering honoring a Trenton resident killed in 2013, according to the prosecutor.

Shortly after midnight on Aug. 1, 2021, police responded to ShotSpotter alerts of 13 rounds fired in the 800 block of Stuyvesant Avenue. Officers found Basnight in the street with multiple gunshot wounds to his face and body. He was pronounced dead at the scene, Marbrey said.

Investigators recovered 13 shell casings and obtained surveillance footage showing Basnight being ambushed from behind by a gunman hiding between two buildings. The footage captured the shooter firing multiple shots before fleeing through a shortcut toward Craft Alley, Marbrey said. Around seven minutes before the shooting, Tanner was identified by a detective walking to the murder location wearing clothing that matched the shooter's attire, officials said.

When interviewed on Aug. 3, 2021, Tanner arrived wearing the same clothes he had on during the shooting. He identified himself in several surveillance screenshots from before and after the shooting, including standing near Basnight's body just seconds after the final shot, Marbrey said.

Evidence presented during the four-week trial established that Tanner left the party to shower and change clothes, then returned minutes before the shooting in an outfit matching the shooter's. After spotting Basnight walking away from the gathering, Tanner used shortcuts between homes to ambush him from behind and then fled back to the party area, Marbrey said.

Assistant Prosecutors Michael Mennuti and Matthew Samel represented the state before Superior Court Judge Darlene J. Pereksta, while Nicole Carlo and Mary-Clare Patterson of the New Jersey Office of the Public Defender represented Tanner.

Tanner faces a potential life sentence at his upcoming June 27 sentencing hearing.

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