On the evening of August 31, 2016, Marcus Corey Ellis, a 25-year-old Black male from Plainfield, New Jersey, was fatally shot. The incident occurred at approximately 11 p.m. on the 700 block of Hillside Avenue in what would become the eighth homicide in the city that year. Ellis was discovered with gunshot wounds alongside another 26-year-old man. Both were transported to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, where Ellis was pronounced dead around 11:45 p.m.
A third man, aged 30, was also shot in the same incident and drove himself to a local hospital. The two other victims sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
At the time of his death, Ellis was on the cusp of his senior year at Kean University, where he had been named to the Dean's List and was pursuing a degree in history with aspirations of becoming a professor. He had graduated from Plainfield High School and earned an associate's degree from Union County College. Described as a bright, funny, and compassionate individual, his death was a significant loss to his community. He was remembered by friends and family for his kindness, intelligence, and dedication to helping others.
In the wake of the shooting, the Union County Homicide Task Force, along with local law enforcement agencies, launched an investigation. A reward of up to $10,000 was offered by the Union County Crime Stoppers for information that would lead to an arrest and indictment in the case. However, despite the ongoing investigation and the offered reward, there have been no publicly reported arrests made in connection with the murder of Marcus Ellis, and no suspects have been officially named. The case remains unresolved.
