A Union County grand jury has returned an indictment against the Elizabeth man accused of being responsible for a shooting that left one man dead and another injured last September, acting Union County Prosecutor Grace H. Park announced Friday.
Jihad Holmes, who was 21 at the time of his January 2015 arrest, is charged with murder and attempted murder.
It was shortly before 6 p.m. on Monday, September 15, 2014 when police rushed to the area of Bond and Jackson streets in Elizabeth to find 32-year-old Michael Gibbs of Beverly and a male Elizabeth resident suffering from gunshot wounds, according to Union County Assistant Prosecutor Bruce Holmes, who is prosecuting the case.
Gibbs subsequently was rushed to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead, while the second victim was transported to Newark Beth Israel Medical Center for treatment, Holmes said.
A joint investigation involving the Union County Homicide Task Force and the Elizabeth Police Department resulted in Holmes being identified as a suspect in the case.
Following his arrest he was lodged in Union County Bail on $1.5 million bail.
Convictions on murder charges typically carry penalties of 30 years to life in state prison.