Gunfire erupted during a candlelight vigil in Elizabeth on Monday night, killing one person and wounding four others, authorities said.
The shots were reported around 9:30 p.m. near the intersection of Irvington Avenue and Elmwood Place, the Union County prosecutor’s office said. Mayor Chris Bollwage said officers arriving at the scene found five people with gunshot wounds, and one victim was pronounced dead there.
The four wounded victims were taken to a hospital, said Lauren Farinas, a public information officer for the prosecutor’s office. By Tuesday morning, no arrests had been made and a motive was not immediately known.
Mourners had gathered to remember Jamile Robbins, a 20-year-old Elizabeth man fatally shot in the same neighborhood on Oct. 25, 2019.
Cheryle Lugo, 44, of Old Bridge, who prosecutors said drove the vehicle in that killing, was sentenced in December 2024 to 18 years in state prison for conspiracy to commit murder.
The gunman in that shooting has not been publicly identified and is presumed to be remaining at large.
Neighbors said the gunfire Monday sounded at first like fireworks because of the number of shots.
Aerial video showed a crime scene spanning several blocks, with at least two dozen orange cones marking areas of interest.
Investigators were still processing the scene Tuesday morning, collecting shell casings and placing them in evidence bags. A van appeared to have been struck multiple times, and bullet holes were visible in some homes.
One father told CBS News New York that his 18-year-old son was among those wounded and was fighting for his life in a hospital. RLS Metro Breaking News reported that some victims were struck in the legs and one in the chest.
A vehicle that reportedly fled the scene, described as a red sedan, was later found burning on Hobson Street in Newark, according to ABC 7 Eyewitness News. It was not immediately clear whether the vehicle was connected to the shooting.
Authorities asked anyone with information to contact Detective William Hannon of the prosecutor’s homicide task force at 908-578-8482, Sgt. Nicholas Veltre at 908-347-7330, or Elizabeth police Detective Daniel Mooney at 908-558-2036.
Anonymous tips can be submitted at 908-654-TIPS (8477) or online at uctip.org. Tips that lead to an indictment and conviction may be eligible for a reward of up to $10,000.
Leave a Reply