The community, city officials and leaders are calling for a cease fire in Jersey City after four people were killed in 11 days.
Reports indicate the latest fatal shooting took place Tuesday afternoon between Corcoran and Van Cleef streets near a vacant building. Few details were given about the shooting by the Hudson County Prosecutor’s office, who only said the victim was a male.
Tuesday’s shooting took place not far from where another shooting occurred days earlier that left three people dead, including a pregnant woman. Reports indicate the shooting stemmed from a drug robbery.
Police said there was a shootout inside the home that left 31-year-old Quadel Chisolm, 26-year-old Ishear Bailey and 25-year-old Janaya Lee dead. Lee was four months pregnant, according to a family member.
“It’s ugly,” said Councilwoman-at-large Joyce Watterman in one interview. “It stems from poverty, it does. Not having, and you get depressed when you don’t have and [that leads] you to drugs, alcohol, those things. And that leads to a destructive lifestyle.”
Jersey City has been dealing with violence since the start of the year. In February, there were five shootings in a 15-hour period, and in March, five people were shot in 36 hours. Last month, two people were killed in a string of eight shootings in one week. A 15-year-old was arrested and charged for bringing a gun to school.
The Jersey City Anti-Violence Coalition Movement has been instrumental in helping the community. The organization is geared up for its annual Unity Walk June 30, urging the community to join the fight against violence.
“People are afraid,” said Pamela Johnson, director of JCAVCM. “I’m afraid. I know you guys are afraid and the babies are afraid. And it should not be that way in our own community.”