Laquan T. Nowlin, a 32-year-old Black male from East Orange, New Jersey, found his life cut tragically short on the evening of July 3, 2020. Nowlin, who served as a juvenile detention officer at the Essex County Youth Detention Center, was in Newark's West Ward, attending a family gathering on Lanark Avenue. He had briefly left the get-together to go to a nearby chicken shack. Upon his return, he parked his car near the corner of Sanford and Lanark avenues.
It was at this moment, at approximately 11:50 p.m., that the fatal encounter occurred.
While Nowlin was seated in his vehicle, a dark-colored sedan pulled up. An unidentified individual emerged from the passenger side of the car, approached Nowlin's vehicle, and fired multiple shots, striking him in the neck and chest. The gunman then got back into the sedan, which fled south on Sanford Avenue. Residents in the vicinity who heard the gunfire promptly called 911. When Newark Police officers arrived at the scene, they discovered Nowlin in his vehicle with gunshot wounds. Despite the immediate response, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Essex County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide/Major Crimes Task Force, which includes detectives from the Newark Police Department, is leading the ongoing investigation into Nowlin's death. Authorities have stated that there is no indication that the shooting was connected to his employment as a corrections officer. In the years since the incident, his mother has publicly appealed for any information that could lead to the capture of those responsible. As of the latest reports, no arrests have been made in the case, and no suspects have been publicly identified. The Essex County Sheriff's Office has offered a $10,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest and conviction in the killing.
