On the night of March 29, 2021, a burst of gunfire shattered the-late evening quiet in Jersey City, forever altering the lives of those connected to 16-year-old Kaheem Taylor, a Black male. Just after 10:30 p.m., police responded to reports of shots fired in the vicinity of 83 Bergen Avenue. Arriving officers discovered a grim scene; Taylor was found with gunshot wounds to his upper body. He was rushed to the Jersey City Medical Center, but his injuries proved to be too severe. He was pronounced dead at 11:15 p.m.
The initial investigation into the shooting was a collaborative effort between the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide Unit and the Jersey City Police Department. For over a year, the case remained under active investigation, a period of uncertainty and grief for Taylor's loved ones and the community. The breakthrough in the case came in December 2022, when authorities announced the arrests of two men from Newark in connection with the fatal shooting.
The Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, along with the U.S. Marshals Service New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force, were credited with the arrests that brought a significant development in the quest for justice for Kaheem Taylor.
The two men taken into custody were 23-year-old Khalil Kelley and 22-year-old Roger Pickett Jr. Kelley was apprehended at his place of employment in Hillside. Pickett was already incarcerated at the Hudson County Correctional Facility on other charges at the time of his arrest in connection with Taylor's death. Both men were subsequently held at the Hudson County Correctional Facility.
The charges brought against the two suspects were serious. Kelley was charged with murder, conspiracy to commit murder, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and unlawful possession of a weapon. Pickett faced charges of murder as an accomplice and conspiracy to commit murder. These charges marked a pivotal moment in the investigation, offering a measure of hope to a community still mourning the loss of a young life. The legal process would continue to unfold, but the arrests represented a crucial step towards accountability for the violence that ended Kaheem Taylor's life.
