In the early morning hours of August 2, 2022, the life of 34-year-old Davion Sumler was brought to a violent end on a street in Newark, New Jersey. A Black / African American male, Sumler was discovered by Newark Police at approximately 1:40 a.m. on the 300 block of South 20th Street in the city's Fairmount section, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene just over twenty minutes later, at 2:06 a.m.
The sheer brutality of the attack was underscored by reports that over three dozen shots were fired at Sumler, with witnesses describing a 'hail of gunfire.'
The investigation into the shooting was handled by the Essex County Prosecutor's Office Homicide/Major Crimes Task Force, which includes detectives from the Newark Police Department. For months, the case remained under active investigation with no arrests made. Then, on March 16, 2023, a significant development occurred in the case with the arrest of 23-year-old Juan Leandry, also a resident of Newark.
Following his arrest, Leandry was charged with a string of serious offenses related to Davion Sumler's death. These charges included first-degree murder, first-degree conspiracy to commit murder, second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, and second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose. In a less common turn of events, Leandry was also charged with second-degree arson and second-degree conspiracy to commit arson, though prosecutors did not immediately provide an explanation for these charges. Following his arrest, Leandry was taken to the Essex County Correctional Facility in Newark. The investigation into the death of Davion Sumler remains active and ongoing.
