In the spring of 2020, a young man's life was cut short on a street in Jersey City. Akim Ward, a 21-year-old male, was fatally shot on the afternoon of Saturday, April 4th. The incident unfolded shortly after 3:15 p.m. in the area of Ocean Avenue, between Bidwell and Bayview Avenues, when police responded to reports of gunfire. Upon their arrival, officers discovered Ward with gunshot wounds to his upper body.
He was rushed to Jersey City Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at approximately 3:30 p.m. The cause of his death was later determined to be the gunshot wounds, and the manner of death was ruled a homicide.
The investigation into Ward's death was a collaborative effort between the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide Unit and the Jersey City Police Department. Their work led to the identification of two suspects. About a month after the shooting, on May 4th, 23-year-old Devon Tutten of Jersey City turned himself in to the Prosecutor’s Office Homicide Unit. Tutten was subsequently arrested and charged with murder, possession of a firearm for an unlawful purpose, and unlawful possession of a weapon.
A few days later, a second suspect was apprehended. On the evening of May 8th, Tyree Witherspoon, a 28-year-old from Jersey City, was arrested without incident on Stevens Avenue by the Jersey City Police Department Street Crimes Unit. Witherspoon faced the same charges as Tutten: murder, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and unlawful possession of a weapon. Following his arrest, he was transported to the Hudson County Correctional Facility in Kearny.
