On the evening of June 25, 2017, in Newark, New Jersey, a violent encounter cut short the life of 39-year-old Rayshawn Ross. The incident unfolded at approximately 8:49 p.m. on Edwin Place, where Ross and another man were shot. When emergency services arrived, Ross was pronounced dead at the scene from his injuries. The second victim was transported to a local hospital for treatment and survived.
The investigation into the shooting was a collaboration between the Newark Police Department
and the Essex County Prosecutor's Office Homicide/Major Crimes Task Force. Their efforts soon identified a suspect, Alquan B. Council, a 27-year-old resident of Newark. A warrant was issued for his arrest on charges including murder, attempted murder, and weapons offenses. Authorities publicly announced that Council was wanted and considered armed and dangerous, asking for the public's help in locating him.
Following the shooting, Council fled the state in an attempt to evade capture. The search for him concluded on July 7, 2017, when he was apprehended by local authorities in Syracuse, New York. His arrest was highlighted as a result of cooperation between eyewitnesses and law enforcement agencies in both New Jersey and New York.
In April 2018, Alquan B. Council, then 28, pleaded guilty to first-degree aggravated manslaughter for the killing of Rayshawn Ross. He also pleaded guilty to second-degree aggravated assault for shooting the surviving victim and to unlawful possession of a weapon. According to prosecutors, on the night of the incident, Council had taken an illegally possessed shotgun from his apartment and fired it multiple times outside where a group of people had gathered. In exchange for his guilty plea, the state recommended a 23-year sentence in New Jersey State Prison, under which he would be required to serve 85 percent of his sentence before becoming eligible for parole.
