Officials announced that on Nov. 5th, members of the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide Unit arrested Alterik Ellis, 25, of Jersey City, and Travis Defoe, 28, of Jersey City, in connection with the murder of Jade Saunders on Oct. 26th in a shooting incident on Brinkerhoff Street in Jersey City.
According to authorities, Ellis, 25, of Jersey City, was arrested without incident on Lexington Street in Jersey City at approximately 11:20 a.m. Defoe, 28, of Jersey City, was arrested without incident on Lexington Street shortly after noon.
Police charged Ellis and Defoe have been charged with Murder, Conspiracy to Commit Murder, Aggravated Assault, Possession of a Weapon (Firearm) for an Unlawful Purpose, Unlawful Possession of a Weapon (Firearm) and Theft of Moveable Property.
Officials say Ellis and Defoe were processed and transported to the Hudson County Correctional Facility in Kearny to await their first appearance.
According to authorities, on October 26th, at approximately 11:35 p.m., the Jersey City Police Department received a report of shots fired in the area of 76 Brinkerhoff Street in Jersey City. Upon arrival, Jersey City Police Officers found an unresponsive female victim at that location with an apparent gunshot wound to the upper body.
The victim, identified as Jade Saunders, 17, of Jersey City, was pronounced dead at the scene. The Regional Medical Examiner’s Office has found the Cause of death to be a gunshot wound and the Manner of death to be homicide.
A second victim, 26, of Jersey City, was found at the scene. He suffered a gunshot injury to a lower extremity. He was transported by Emergency Medical Services to the Jersey City Medical Center where he was treated and then later released.
During the investigation into the incident, it was determined by members of the Homicide Unit that two additional shooting victims who did not remain at the scene had also been injured.
One of the additional victims, 19, from Jersey City, sustained a gunshot-graze wound to his torso and the other victim, age 19, from Jersey City, sustained a gunshot wound to one of his upper extremities.
The above charges are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.