Arrest made days after deadly shooting in Jersey City

⚫ Shooting happened Friday, Jan. 3

⚫ Investigators finds person responsible

⚫ City Council president reacts to public reaction

JERSEY CITY — Investigators have found the gunman who shot and killed a 20-year-old man on Friday.

Police arrested a 17-year-old male in Jersey City on Monday on Garfield Avenue. The man has been charged as a juvenile with Murder in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:11- 3a(1)/(2), Unlawful Possession of a Weapon in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:39-5b(1) and Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:39-4a(1).

The Jersey City Police Department got notice of the shooting around 8:30 p.m. Friday and responded to the area of Old Bergen Road and Lembeck Avenue.

Rahmiere Morris, of Jersey City, was found shot in the torso.

Morris was transported to a hospital but died Friday night. The Regional Medical Examiner’s Office is looking into his official cause of death.

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This marked the city's first homicide of 2025.

Public reaction to crime

Council President Joyce Watterman, who’s also vying to be mayor, says reaction to crime depends on the demographics of the neighborhoods, as first reported by Patch.

According to her statement posted on Insider NJ, Watterman said an attack at the Exchange Place PATH station in the more affluent downtown area “sparked outrage and immediate calls for action” for more police presence at the stations.

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Watterman said the same outcry wasn’t seen for Friday’s fatal shooting in the more working-class and minority-populated Greenville section.

“This is a devastating loss for Rahmiere’s family, friends, and community. Yet where is the same urgency? Where are the loud voices demanding justice for Rahmiere? Where are the calls for increased safety measures in Greenville and other neighborhoods that have long been plagued by violence? The silence is deafening, and it’s the kind of thing that makes you stop and think,” Watterman said.

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