In the late summer of 2015, the life of a young man from Piscataway, New Jersey, was tragically cut short. Kyle Winkey, a 17-year-old Black male, was shot and killed on August 29, 2015, in the nearby city of Plainfield. Friends and family remembered him as a smart and kind individual, though some noted he had recently become involved with a troubled crowd.
His untimely death left a void in the lives of those who knew him, including a childhood friend who shared fond memories of their time together.
On that fateful morning, Plainfield Police Division patrol units were dispatched to a convenience store located on the 1300 block of West Third Street. There, they found Kyle Winkey suffering from gunshot wounds. He was rushed to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, but his injuries proved to be fatal, and he was pronounced dead at the hospital. The area where the shooting took place was known to have issues with drug and gang activity, causing concern among local residents about their safety.
The investigation into Kyle Winkey's murder was a joint effort conducted by the Union County Prosecutor's Office Homicide Task Force, the Plainfield Police Division, and the Union County Sheriff's Office. In an effort to bring his killer or killers to justice, a reward of up to $10,000 was offered for information that would lead to an arrest and indictment in the case. Despite the ongoing investigation and the offered reward, no arrests have ever been made in connection with his death. The case remains unsolved, leaving a community still seeking answers and justice for the young life that was lost.
