In the early morning hours of December 30, 2016, a tragic event unfolded on the 300 block of South 11th Street in Newark, New Jersey, forever altering the lives of those connected to Anthony Polite. A 28-year-old Black male from Sunrise, Florida, Polite was discovered unconscious and unresponsive, having sustained a fatal gunshot wound. Despite the immediate response, he was pronounced dead at the scene, leaving a community to grapple with the sudden and violent loss.
The initial
investigation into the shooting began to piece together the circumstances of Polite's death, though the motive was not immediately clear. The Essex County Prosecutor's Office, in conjunction with the Newark Public Safety Department, took the lead in the homicide investigation, diligently working to identify who was responsible for the young man's untimely demise. The case drew significant attention as law enforcement officials sought to bring a sense of justice to the victim's family and the concerned public.
A significant breakthrough in the case came less than two weeks later, on January 11, 2017. Through a collaborative effort between Newark Police and the FBI Fugitive Task Force, a suspect was identified and apprehended. Raheem Henry, a 38-year-old resident of Newark, was taken into custody and faced a litany of serious charges related to the incident. These charges included murder, two counts of robbery, felony murder, kidnapping, unlawful possession of a handgun, and possession of a handgun for an unlawful purpose. Following his arrest, Henry was held at the Essex County Correctional Facility in Newark as he awaited legal proceedings.
