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The victims were shot five days apart last August by Antoine Hawkins, a 31-year-old repeat offender with an extensive criminal record, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said.
Police nabbed Hawkins a month later and found him carrying a 9mm Springfield Armory XDM pistol loaded with 19 rounds, the U.S. attorney said.
A warranted search of his home turned up the heroin, as well as three 9mm magazines, she said.
Hawkins, who has remained in federal custody ever since, was indicted on drug and weapons charges this week by a grand jury in U.S. District Court in Newark. Counts include possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon.
Several law enforcement agencies worked the case under the auspices of the Violent Crime Initiative (VCI) in Newark, which fights violent crime in and around the city, Honig said.
She specifically cited the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, Newark police, the DEA and the Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) for their work leading to the charges.
Handling the case for the government is Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Levin of Honig’s Violent Crimes Unit in Newark.
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