On the evening of May 21, 2021, Randolph Black Jr., a 25-year-old Black male, was fatally shot in Jersey City, New Jersey. The incident occurred around 10:50 p.m. in the vicinity of Brinkerhoff Street and Crescent Avenue. Black, an aspiring actor and musician known as 'Ran Styles,' was inside a vehicle with five other individuals when two assailants approached and opened fire on the car.
Black sustained multiple gunshot wounds to his torso and extremities.
He was rushed to Jersey City Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead shortly after arrival at approximately 11:15 p.m. Another man in the vehicle, 26-year-old Jason Crutcher, was also killed in the attack, and four other occupants of the car were wounded but survived. The targeted nature of the shooting was immediately apparent to investigators, as the gunmen walked directly up to the specific vehicle and began shooting.
The Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office and the Jersey City Police Department launched an intensive investigation into the double homicide. Their efforts led to the identification and arrest of two suspects. In June 2025, a Hudson County jury convicted Omire Rios-Williams, 23, of two counts of murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and multiple counts of attempted murder and aggravated assault. Another man, 25-year-old Cooleone McNeil, was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder in connection to the fatal shooting. The convictions brought a measure of closure to a case that highlighted the persistent issue of gun violence in the community.
