One Plainfield resident has been arrested and another is being sought in connection with a May shooting that resulted in the death of an innocent bystander, acting Union County Prosecutor Grace H. Park announced Thursday.
Diniek Forbes, 18, and Shaquille Spruiel, 23, are both charged with murder in connection with the death of 37-year-old Willie Lee Major; Forbes was charged earlier this month while in custody in Middlesex County on an unrelated criminal matter, while Spruiel remains at large.
Plainfield Police Division patrol units responding to a report of gunshots being fired rushed to the 400 block of West 4th Street shortly after 6:45 p.m. on Wednesday, May 25, 2016 and found Major, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
Major was not believed to be the intended target of the shooting.
Bail for Forbes was set at $1.4 million by state Superior Court Judge Scott J. Moynihan.
This matter remains under active joint investigation by the Union County Homicide Task Force, the Plainfield Police Division, the Union County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Unit, and the Union County Police Department Ballistics Unit.
Anyone with information about Major’s death or Spruiel’s whereabouts is being urged to contact Homicide Task Force Sgt. Johnny Ho at 908-403-8271 or Detective Danika Ramos at 908-451-7739.
Spruiel is known to wear prescription glasses, has low-cut hair, and is of a thin build.
The Union County Crime Stoppers also are continuing to offer a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to an arrest and indictment in this case; tips can be given anonymously by phone at 908-654-TIPS (8477), via text message by texting “UCTIP” plus a message to 274637 (CRIMES), or online at www.uctip.org.