An adult and a juvenile suspect have been arrested and charged in connection with a fatal shooting that took place last month in Elizabeth, acting Union County Prosecutor Lyndsay V. Ruotolo announced Friday.
Newark resident Mr. George Thompson, 22, and a 17-year-old whose identity is being withheld due to his age, are charged with murder and related weapons offenses in connection with the death of 19-year-old Haneef Brockington of Elizabeth.
Police say shortly before 10:45 p.m. on Sunday, December 29, 2019, Elizabeth Police Department patrol units found Brockington in a gas station parking lot located on the 300 block of Morris Avenue.
According to Union County Assistant Prosecutor Colleen Ruppert, who is prosecuting the case, Brockington had sustained multiple gunshot wounds and was subsequently pronounced dead at the scene.
An investigation led by the Union County Homicide Task Force, and assisted by the Elizabeth Police Department, the Union County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Unit, the Union County Police Department Ballistics Unit, the Newark Police Department, and the East Orange Police Department, identified Thompson and the juvenile as suspects in the shooting.
The juvenile was arrested without incident on Thursday, and Thompson was taken into custody Friday morning, with a first appearance scheduled to take place Saturday in Superior Court.
Anyone with information about the shooting is urged to contact Prosecutor’s Office Sgt. Andrew Dellaquila at 973-274-5771 and/or Detective Nicholas Falcicchio 908-721-8186.
Convictions on criminal charges of this nature are commonly punishable by terms of up to life in state prison.
These criminal charges are mere accusations.
Every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.