In the early morning hours of December 21, 2013, the life of 18-year-old Reginald Terry was tragically cut short on the streets of Newark, New Jersey. A promising honors student and gifted football player, Terry was a freshman at New Jersey City University studying computer science. He had graduated from University High School and was known by friends and family as a good person who stayed away from trouble, dreaming of a future that included playing football for Montclair State University.
On that fateful Saturday morning, Terry had been at a party in downtown Newark. As he was leaving, an argument erupted between a group from the party and patrons from a nearby bar. The confrontation escalated, and a gun was drawn. In the ensuing chaos, as people fled the scene, a bullet struck Reginald Terry in the back of the neck. Law enforcement sources later indicated that he was an innocent bystander and not the intended target of the gunfire. The shooting occurred at the intersection of Washington and Market streets, a location that would soon bear a memorial in his honor.
The investigation into Reginald Terry's death led to the arrests of two Newark residents, 18-year-old Damiar Pendergrass and 19-year-old Raquan Langford. The two men were apprehended and subsequently charged with murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and weapons offenses in connection with the shooting. A grand jury later returned a five-count indictment against both Pendergrass and Langford. Authorities also announced that they were seeking a third individual in connection to the case, described as a light-skinned Black male. The community mourned the loss of a young man with a bright future, a victim of senseless violence who had been actively working to rise above the very dangers that ultimately claimed his life.
