Chick-fil-A Shooting in New Jersey Leaves One Dead, Six Injured
Saturday night. A fast food restaurant. Seven people shot.
At around 9 p.m. on April 11, several masked suspects walked into a Chick-fil-A in Union Township, New Jersey, moved deliberately behind the counter, and started shooting. When police arrived, they found seven victims. One person was pronounced dead on scene. Six others were taken for treatment with injuries described as non-life-threatening.
Nobody has been arrested.
What We Know
The way this went down is what stands out. These weren't people who walked in and started firing randomly into a crowded restaurant. They went behind the counter. That level of purpose and direction led investigators to conclude early on that this was not a random act.
"The preliminary investigation reveals this does not appear to be a random act of violence and that there is no immediate ongoing threat to the general public," the Union County Prosecutor's Office said in a statement Sunday.
The "no immediate ongoing threat" language is meant to keep the broader community from panicking. But for anyone connected to the people inside that restaurant on Saturday night, that framing doesn't do a whole lot.
What investigators are working with right now is the fact that this looks targeted — which means there's a specific thread to pull. Who was there. Who knew they'd be there. What the connection is between the suspects and the victims. Those are the questions driving the investigation right now, and none of them have public answers yet.
The Community Response
Union Township sits just southwest of Newark — a suburban community that by most Saturday nights is exactly as uneventful as you'd expect a New Jersey suburb to be. This weekend was different.
Mayor Patricia Guerra-Frazier said what most people in the area are probably feeling.
"What should have been an ordinary evening has left families grieving, individuals injured, and our entire Township in shock," she said. "Our community is heartbroken and shaken by the tragic act of violence that occurred last night at a local Chick-fil-A."
New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport called it horrifying and said gun violence has no place in the state. Governor Mikie Sherrill said she was briefed and is in close contact with local officials.
All of the right things are being said. The people responsible are still out there.
If You Know Something
The Union County Crime Stoppers is offering up to $10,000 for information leading to an indictment and conviction. Tips can be submitted anonymously by calling 908-654-TIPS or online at uctip.org. The Union County Prosecutor's Office is leading the investigation.
One person went out for dinner on a Saturday night and didn't come home. Masked gunmen walked into a fast food restaurant, went behind the counter, and shot seven people. In a suburb outside Newark. On an ordinary April evening.
If you have information — make the call.
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