In the late evening of May 11, 2022, Jahque Tyrese Benbow, a 23-year-old man, was fatally shot while at his job at a gas station in Irvington, New Jersey. At approximately 10 p.m., Irvington police were dispatched to the 500 block of Grove Street after reports of gunfire. Upon their arrival, they discovered Benbow with gunshot wounds. He was rushed to University Hospital in Newark, where he was pronounced dead a short time later.
The investigation into the shooting was conducted by the
Essex County Prosecutor's Office Homicide/Major Crimes Task Force. Their investigation revealed a conspiracy to commit murder involving three individuals. Authorities determined that 36-year-old Lamar Sommers of Bloomfield had driven two other people to a location just a block away from the gas station. Those two individuals then approached the station and fired five shots at Benbow.
Following the shooting, Sommers fled the state of New Jersey. However, he was located and apprehended in North Carolina on June 16, 2022. While Sommers did not pull the trigger, he was charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and weapons offenses for his role in planning and participating in the fatal shooting. The other two suspects involved in the shooting have not been publicly identified.
After an eight-day jury trial, Lamar Sommers was found guilty on all charges. The jury deliberated for less than five hours before returning their verdict. His sentencing was scheduled for December 4, 2023, where he faced a minimum of 30 years in New Jersey State Prison. Prosecutors emphasized that planning and participating in a murder carries the same responsibility as pulling the trigger, and they hoped the verdict would bring some solace to Benbow's family.
