Union County prosecutors are seeking witnesses after gunfire at Elmwood Place and Irvington Avenue; investigators have not announced a motive or arrests.
ELIZABETH, NJ – One person was killed and four others were injured when gunfire broke out during a candlelight vigil at Elmwood Place and Irvington Avenue on Oct. 26, according to the Union County Prosecutor’s Office.
Elizabeth police responded at approximately 9:30 p.m. and found five victims, one of whom was subsequently pronounced dead. The four surviving victims were receiving treatment at a hospital, prosecutors said in their Oct. 27 statement.
The prosecutor’s office described the investigation as active and ongoing. Its statement reported no arrests, did not identify the victims and did not provide a motive or describe what led to the shooting.
ABC7 New York reported that people had gathered to remember Jamile Robbins, who was killed in the neighborhood in 2019. That account of the vigil’s purpose was not included in the prosecutor’s written announcement.
The station also reported that nearby homes and a van were struck by bullets. Its reporting described a crime scene extending across several blocks, where investigators were collecting and processing shell casings.
Witnesses who spoke with CBS News New York described hearing repeated shots, with some initially mistaking the sound for fireworks. CBS reported damage to neighboring homes from stray bullets.
ABC7 reported that a red sedan was seen leaving westbound on Morris Avenue and that a red sedan was later found burning on Hobson Street in Newark. Investigators were examining whether the vehicle was connected to the shooting, the station reported. That connection has not been established in the prosecutor’s public statement.
The prosecutor’s office is asking people with information to contact Detective William Hannon at 908-578-8482, Sgt. Nicholas Veltre at 908-347-7330, or Elizabeth Police Detective Daniel Mooney at 908-558-2036.
Anonymous information can be submitted to Union County Crime Stoppers at 908-654-TIPS (8477) or uctip.org. Prosecutors said information submitted through that channel that leads to an indictment and conviction may qualify for a reward of up to $10,000.