Authorities arrested an Elizabeth man Tuesday for a fatal shooting that took place in Elizabeth this past December, Union County Prosecutor William A. Daniel, Elizabeth Police Director Earl J. Graves and Elizabeth Police Chief Giacomo Sacca jointly announced Wednesday.
Officials said Deshon Fleming, 36, of Elizabeth, is charged with first-degree murder, second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm, and second-degree possession of a firearm for an unlawful purpose in connection with the shooting death of Shamar Brown, 34, of Elizabeth.
At approximately 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, December 16th, members of the Elizabeth Police Department responded to the intersection of Second and Bond Streets in Elizabeth, where they found Brown, having sustained a gunshot wound.
He was subsequently pronounced dead at the scene, said Assistant Prosecutor Scott Peterson, who is prosecuting the case.
An investigation led by the Union County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide Task Force and the Elizabeth Police Department, with the assistance of the Union County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Unit, the Union County Police Department Ballistics Unit and the United States Marshals Service, led to the identification of Fleming as the shooter.
He was charged in February of this year and remained a fugitive until he was located and apprehended yesterday afternoon at the Flora Motel in Elizabeth by members of the Elizabeth Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF). He was subsequently taken to the County Jail pending a first appearance.
“We are appreciative of the collaboration with the local and federal law enforcement agencies who assisted our Office in locating and apprehending the suspect,” Prosecutor Daniel said.
“And we hope that this arrest can bring some small measure of comfort to all those grieving Mr. Brown.”
This matter is ongoing, and anyone with information is being urged to contact Prosecutor’s Office Homicide Task Force Sergeant Christopher Scuorzo at 908-472-0492, Detective Richard Acosta at 908-347-0404, or Elizabeth Police Department Detective John Londono at 908-578-5192.
Convictions on crimes of this nature are 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.