On a summer evening in Jersey City, New Jersey, the life of 20-year-old Alshaakir Talmadge, a Black/African American male, was brought to a violent and tragic end. On June 14, 2017, at approximately 10:10 p.m., police responded to reports of a man shot near the intersection of Martin Luther King Drive and Union Street. Arriving officers discovered Talmadge on the sidewalk, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds to his upper body.
Emergency medical services treated him at the scene before rushing him to Jersey City Medical Center, but his injuries proved fatal, and he was pronounced dead at about 11:40 p.m. The cause of his death was later determined to be multiple gunshot wounds, and the manner of death was ruled a homicide.
The investigation into the shooting continued for over a year, culminating in the apprehension of two suspects. On October 5, 2018, the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide Unit arrested 19-year-old Oriental Hamlet and 20-year-old Bijan Cooper, both residents of Jersey City. The arrests were made without incident at the prosecutor's office. Hamlet and Cooper faced serious charges, including murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and weapons offenses. Cooper was also charged with making a false report to law enforcement. Following their arrests, both men were taken to the Hudson County Correctional Facility to await their first court appearance.
In the wake of his death, Alshaakir Talmadge, who was also known by the nickname 'Junnie,' was memorialized by some in his community. A neighborhood street gang that operated in the area of the Salem Lafayette Apartments began referring to themselves as the 'Junnie Gang' as a tribute to him. This act connected his name to the ongoing narrative of gang violence in the city.
