BY WALTER ELLIOTT
NEWARK – Bruce Springsteen’s “the DA can’t get no relief” lyric in his 1982 “Atlantic City” song may well apply to the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office workload Dec. 10-11.
County Prosecutor Theodore N. “Ted” Stephens II announced the arrest of three men and a juvenile at 10:30 a.m. Dec. 11 in regard to the Nov. 15 fatal shooting at 408 Leslie St. The press conference was about 14 hours after a shooting at 790 Clinton Ave. that left two people dead and xx injured.
Stephens – flanked by Mayor Ras Baraka, city Public Safety Director Emanuel Miranda, Sr., Essex County Sheriff Amir Jones and several prosecutors – announced the arrest of three men and a boy they said are responsible for shooting several people before a liquor store at the northwestern corner of Leslie Street and Chancellor Avenue Nov. 15.
That shooting left Jordan Garcia, 10 and Kiyah Mae Scott, 21, dead. Masi Rogers, 19, died of his injuries Nov. 22. Two others, including Garcia’s 11-year-old brother, were injured.
Stephens said that the following foursome drove up to the street corner.
Furquan Boyken, Jr., 19, has been charged on:
* Three counts of first-degree murder.
* One count of second-degree conspiracy to commit murder.
* Two counts of second-degree aggravated assault.
Boyken was one of two males who got out of the car and started firing.
Almuta Thomas, now 33, has been charged with:
*Three counts of first-degree murder.
*One count of second-degree conspiracy to commit murder.
* Two counts of second-degree aggravated assault.
*One count of second-degree aggravated arson.
*One count of third–degree theft of a motor vehicle.
Quayon Williams-King, now 28, has been charged with:
*Three counts of first-degree murder.
*One count of second-degree conspiracy to commit murder.
*two counts of aggravated assault.
The unidentified boy, 16, has been charged with:
*Three counts of first-degree murder.
* One count of second-degree conspiracy to commit murder.
*Two counts of second-degree aggravated assault.
The boy went with Boyken out of the car and started shooting. Detectives, as of press time, believe that the shooting targeted at least one of the victims; for what reason is to be determined.
The arson charge comes from a vehicle that matched the stolen car’s description, which was abandoned and set on fire. The vehicle was reported as stolen on Oct. 26.
“Through exhaustive surveillance and investigative work, detectives identified an additional vehicle leaving the scene of the arson,” added Stephens. “They were able to confirm that the suspect vehicle was also stolen from a surrounding community.”
Stephens, who said the arrests were made after “hundreds of hours of good, old-fashioned police work” by the Homicide Task Force, said the case was cracked open when police stopped a stolen car with Williams-King driving Nov. 17. He and several occupants were stopped and detained after a pursuit on Interstate 280.
The stopped officers found two guns in the car – but they did not match what were used Nov. 15.
“While we’re certain that we have the right individuals that we’ve arrested in this, there may be others involved,” said Stephens, “This’ still a continuing investigation.”
Sheriff Jones, at the Dec. 11 conference, said that the $10,000 CrimeStoppers reward for information in this case leading to more arrests, still stands.
ECPO Homicide Task Force detectives received the first word of the Dec. 10 shooting at Platinum Sounds recording studio at 790 Clinton Ave. – that left two men dead and two other people injured – after 8 p.m. that night.
Newark Police Division officers arrived at 8 p.m. – and found four people lying on the sidewalk with gunshot wounds. Three of the four were rushed to local hospitals.
Namir Bynum, 20, was declared dead at the scene. Osayuwamen Uyamu, also 20, died at University Hospital. The two injured were also taken to University Hospital – with one treated and released overnight.
Stephens said that the shooting “was contained within that particular establishment” and was “between friends.” The “Local Talk” delivery team found Platinum Sounds rollgated shut and a city code violation notice posted there at about 7 p.m.
The recording studio has been one of the storefronts of the five-story apartment building since before the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. The said storefronts included a Newark Public Library branch and a Nation of Islam-run book store in the past.
Platinum Sounds is a by-the hour recording studio for those trying out their rap or musical talent.
The 790 Clinton incident remains under investigation.
