In the early morning hours of June 20, 2020, violence erupted on a street in Jersey City, New Jersey, forever altering the lives of several families. On that day, Scott Colclough, a 34-year-old man, was fatally shot in an incident that also left four other men wounded. The shooting took place shortly after midnight, around 12:20 a.m., in the area of Union Street between Martin Luther King Drive and Ocean Avenue.
When police responded to reports of gunfire, they discovered a chaotic scene with multiple victims.
Colclough was found with multiple gunshot wounds. He was rushed by emergency medical services to Jersey City Medical Center, but his injuries proved too severe. He was pronounced dead at approximately 12:37 a.m. The Regional Medical Examiner's Office later determined that the cause of death was gunshot wounds and ruled the manner of death a homicide. The four other victims found at the scene were also transported to the hospital for treatment of their various gunshot injuries and survived.
For three years, the investigation into the quintuple shooting continued, a painful period of uncertainty for the families of the victims. Then, in July 2023, a significant breakthrough was announced by the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office. Three Jersey City men were charged in connection with the violent night that claimed Colclough's life. The suspects were identified as Lamont Wiggins, 25, Sheldon Mays, 23, and Jermaine Jennings, 22. The charges brought against them were extensive and severe, reflecting the gravity of the crime.
All three men were charged with murder, conspiracy to commit murder, four counts of attempted murder, four counts of aggravated assault, and multiple weapons offenses. The investigation revealed that the shooting was not a random act of violence but was instead linked to ongoing gang warfare in the city. Both Wiggins and Mays were also charged with gang criminality. Jennings faced additional charges, including use of a juvenile in the theft of an automobile. At the time the charges were announced, all three suspects were already in custody on unrelated charges. The indictment of Wiggins, Mays, and Jennings brought a measure of progress in a case that had long remained unresolved, offering a potential path toward justice for Scott Colclough and the other victims of that tragic night.
