On the evening of June 14, 2017, 20-year-old Alshaakir Talmadge, a Black/African American man known as Junnie, was shot near the intersection of Martin Luther King Drive and Union Street in Jersey City. Police were called at about 10:10 p.m.; officers found Talmadge on the sidewalk with multiple gunshot wounds to his upper body. He was treated at the scene and taken to Jersey City Medical Center but was pronounced dead about 11:40 p.m. The cause of death was listed as multiple gunshot wounds and the manner of death ruled a homicide.

The investigation continued for over a year and on October 5, 2018, the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide Unit arrested 19-year-old Oriental Hamlet and 20-year-old Bijan Cooper, both Jersey City residents. They were charged with murder, conspiracy to commit murder and weapons offenses; Cooper also faced a charge of making a false report to law enforcement. Both were taken to the Hudson County Correctional Facility to await court proceedings.

Talmadge’s death has had a visible impact on the neighborhood; a local street gang began calling itself the Junnie Gang in his memory, linking his name to ongoing concerns about gang violence in the area. If anyone knew Alshaakir Talmadge or has information about the shooting, please share what might help the investigation.