In the early morning hours of November 7, 2011, a night out for a friend's birthday celebration ended in tragedy for off-duty Newark Police Detective Michael Morgan. The 32-year-old male was outside the Sunrise Gentleman's Lounge in Paterson, New Jersey, when he was fatally shot. Morgan was talking with a woman, a dancer from the club, when a man approached them and attempted to rob her.
Morgan, a six-and-a-half-year veteran of the Newark Police Department, intervened in an attempt to protect her. In the ensuing struggle, the assailant shot Morgan once in the side. He was rushed to St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center, but tragically, he was pronounced dead about 90 minutes after the shooting.
The investigation into Detective Morgan's murder moved swiftly. Law enforcement released surveillance images to the public, which led to crucial tips. Just two days after the fatal shooting, authorities arrested 24-year-old Jerome Wright and his 19-year-old girlfriend, Nashali Gadson, at a motel in the Philadelphia area. Prosecutors revealed that Wright had committed another armed robbery just 20 minutes before his deadly encounter with Morgan, robbing a woman at gunpoint and stealing her purse and credit cards. Wright and Gadson were charged with felony murder, robbery, and unlawful possession of a weapon.
In the end, justice was served for the heroic detective. Jerome Wright, identified as a member of the Bloods street gang, pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter and armed robbery. He was sentenced to 39 years in prison and will be required to serve 34 years before being eligible for parole. His girlfriend, Nashali Gadson, received a 10-year prison sentence for her role in the crime. The murder weapon, however, was never recovered, though Detective Morgan's own service weapon was found at the scene. Michael Morgan was remembered by his colleagues as a dedicated officer and a 'cop's cop,' and by his family as a loving son and brother who had stepped up as the family's patriarch after his father's death.
