A Union Township resident criminally charged with fatally shooting his girlfriend at his home over the weekend is being actively sought by police, acting Union County Prosecutor Lyndsay V. Ruotolo announced Monday.
Police said Mr. Jamar I. Webber, 20, is charged with first-degree murder and two related weapons offenses in connection with the death of 19-year-old Malikah Taylor of Newark.
Members of the Union Police Department responding to a home on the 2100 block of Melrose Parkway near the corner of Hillcrest Terrace North early Sunday morning found Taylor unresponsive at that location, having sustained serious injury, according to Union County Assistant Prosecutor Armando Suarez, who is prosecuting the case.
Taylor was rushed to Newark’s University Hospital, where she was pronounced dead shortly before 8 a.m.
The investigation into the shooting, led by the Union County Homicide Task Force and assisted by members of the Union Police Department, Union County Police Department Ballistics Unit, Union County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Unit, and New Jersey State Police quickly resulted in Webber being identified as a suspect in the case.
Webber has been known to frequent the area of South 17th through South 20th streets along Clinton Avenue in Newark. A recent photo of Webber is being distributed along with this press release; after the photo was taken, he acquired a tattoo with the initials “LV” on his forehead.
Anyone who encounters Webber should consider him potentially armed and dangerous, and immediately call 911 instead of initiating contact.
Anyone with information about this matter or Webber’s whereabouts is urged to contact Prosecutor's Office Sgt. Danika Ramos at 908-451-7739, Detective Charles Clement at 908-577-6489, or Union Police Department Detective Patrick Bradley at 908-851-5086. Tips can also be submitted anonymously by phone at 908-654-TIPS (8477) or online at www.uctip.org.