In our second series, for the second half of 2016 , we have compiled numbers for homicide investigation for the County of Essex in the State of New Jersey.
An Open Public Records Act request submitted to the Essex County Prosecutor's Office on December 14, 2016 by RLS Media and our legal staff asking for information regarding homicide investigations in Essex County from the August 1, 2016, through December 15th, 2016 has been promptly and effectively delivered by the hard working staff at the Essex County Prosecutor's Office before the time allowed by law.
Our staff has crossed referenced this information with homicide reports submitted to us as they occurred; incident by incident that was delivered from the Prosecutor's Office.
You can always go back to our web page **www.rlsmedia.com**, using the search bar, and type in the city to obtain names of victims and other information that we have compiled for the time frame that we've requested. (Our staff are available to assist via email or inbox from 3:30 a.m to midnight daily). **OUR SERVICE IS AND REMAINS FREE OF CHARGE TO THE PUBLIC**
This is how the Prosecutor's Office is breaking it down:
**IRVINGTON NJ:** In October, there were **two (2)** male victims, one was shot multiple times while the other was found shot a single time. This brings the 2016 total count for the Township of Irvington to **three (3)** total homicides.
**EAST ORANGE NJ:** A rough start to the first half of the year where **eight (8) homicides** were recorded by the Prosecutor's Office had city officers step up enforcement, ending the second half of 2016 with **one (1)** homicide. This incident was a man found shot in September. The city closes the 2016 year with a total of **nine (9)** homicide investigations.
**ORANGE NJ:** **Three (3)** instances of shootings killed **three (3)** people around the city while (1) person was beaten to death and **one (1)** additional person was shot (after our December 15th OPRA request cut-off) has the city looking at **five (5)** homicide investigations to close the second half of the year. This brings the total count to **fifteen (15) homicide investigations**.
**NOTE:** We've already given you and calculated the August homicide that was reported for a man who was beaten to death in an apartment. Police arrested a woman in that homicide. This has been tallied in the last numbers. See the link **https://www.rlsmedia.com/article/homicide-investigations-numbers-essex-county**
This is how we are breaking the months down for you since August. In November,**two (2)** people were killed after being shot multiple times (including a baby), while **one (1)** person was killed after being shot a single time. In December, **one (1)** woman was found strangled in a vacant apartment in the city. On December 26th, 2016, **17-year-old Christopher Terry** was shot multiple times at around 1:30 p.m. in the city. The year closes for the city of Orange with **fifteen (15)** homicide investigations.
**WEST ORANGE:** The body of a woman who prosecutors said was strangled, dumped, then covered with leaves and other debris up in the Eagle Rock reservation in December had the City of West Orange recording **one (1)** homicide investigation. In a press conference, that was conducted shortly after the woman was found, Prosecutor Murray stated that the woman was killed in another location then transported to the reservation. The press conference was attended by top-ranking Essex County elected officials and authorities who reminded residents that the reservation is still "safe". The body of another missing female was found in the reservation several months prior to this case. The woman's death was not announced as a homicide. The Essex County Sheriff's Office provides security for the reservation. West Orange closes 2016 with **one (1)** homicide.
**NEWARK:** **Thirty-five (35)** homicide investigations, plus 68 from the first half of the year gives us a total of **103 homicides** as of Thursday, December 30, 2016, according to the OPRA request.
We have already given you 9 of 11 people who were killed in August in our first half of the reports that we put out in late July. You can reference by clicking this link: **https://www.rlsmedia.com/article/homicide-investigations-numbers-essex-county**
Note: Those **nine (9)** individuals have been tallied in our **"first half report"**. Here are those August homicide victims names:
1. Nafee Moore
2. Bilal Rodgers
3. Joshua Moore
4. Kevin Baker
5. Robbert Harris
6. Akbar Scott
7. Sirree Samod Scales
8. Jessica Todesco
9. Chyna Willis (Vehicular Homicide)
These two (2) homicide victims we've missed in August:
1. **40-year-old Mr. George Negron** who was shot multiple times near Roseville Avenue. Arrest made.
2. **43-year-old Mr. Curtis Thomas** was found shot dead on Belgium Street.
Please allow us to break each month down for you: In September, **seven (7)** people died of single gunshot wounds while **four (4)** were shot multiple times. **Total 11**
In October, **one (1) person** was killed by a single gunshot, while **three (3)** people were killed after being shot multiple times. **One (1) person** was beaten to death. **Total 5**
In November, **four (4) people** were killed after being shot multiple times, while **five (5) people** were killed from a single gunshot wound. Two (2) people were beaten to death and **one (1) person** was stabbed to death. **Total 12**
In December, **two (2) people** were killed from a single gunshot wound, while one (1) person was killed after being shot multiple times. **Total 3** **(FROM OPRA REPORT)**
NOTE: There were **four (4) ** Additional homicides that were not included in the report because of the OPRA date range:
1. **Mr. Hassan Q. Cobb-Jones,** shot multiple times in the 100 block of Parker Street on Christmas Day.
2. **Mr. Armani D. McPhall,** shot multiple times in the 900 block of South Orange Avenue on December 23rd. Authorities found him dead in a liquor store.
3. **Mr. Ibn B. Wolfe** was killed by gunfire at around 4:38 p.m. in the 600 block of MLK Boulevard (High Street) on December 26, 2016.
4. December 30, 2016, an unidentified male victim was found in the 300 block of South 11th Street shot dead. No information from the Prosecutor's Office. We will update this when they send information. (UPDATE): This was 28-year-old Florida resident Anthony Polite.
Sixty-Eight **(68)** (first half) plus Thirty-five **(35)** (for this half) = 103 plus four (4) victims who were killed after December 15th, totals to **107 homicide investigations** for the City of Newark.
Remember, you can obtain the first half report by clicking this link: **https://www.rlsmedia.com/article/homicide-investigations-numbers-essex-county**
We hope that this year's breakdown will assist in keeping the community informed.
We would like to THANK the staff over at the Essex County Prosecutor's Office, our entire Metro Breaking News staff, the community, and our legal team/advisors for assisting.
Happy New Year and have a wonderful 2017!
"Make it a great day NJ"