The following is a message from the Honorable East Orange Mayor Ted Green:
"Yesterday, a young man's life was brazenly cut short by a senseless act of violence that we will never normalize in our city. 16-year-old Letrell Duncan deserves more."
"Our young people are hurting. And so am I. This shooting has shaken our community to its core, and collectively, we must unite to prioritize and protect our young people.
EOPD has increased patrols in our school corridors, and we are taking aggressive action to ensure gun violence does not disrupt our community."
"We need our children to feel safe traveling throughout our city. Anything else is unacceptable.
I've been tough on crime since day one, and I will remain that way — investing in more police officers and getting illegal guns off the street.
But we also are investing in positive opportunities for our young people to mitigate the systemic pressures and disparities that put our youth at risk."
"I express my personal condolences to the family and those impacted by yesterday's tragedy, and I join our community in mourning this terrible loss."
"EOPD is working closely with the Essex County Prosecutor's Office to arrest and charge the perpetrator(s) of this heinous crime, and we are asking anyone with information to speak up by calling the EOPD Tips Hotline at 973-266-5041.
All calls will be kept anonymous and confidential."