40°
Shamar Bey, 29, a reputed member of the SaLaf gang, opened fire at a gas station at Gates Avenue and Kennedy Boulevard after following a rival from Ocean and Neptune avenues on June 19, 2020, an FBI complaint on file in U.S. District Court in Newark says.
A city surveillance camera helped identify him, the FBI said.
Less than 24 hours after that shooting, three people entered the Salem-Lafayette housing project -- where SaLaf operates -- and shot into a crowd.
Killed was high-ranking SaLaf member Scott Colclough, 34, whose brother was shot dead in 2016.
Bey vowed revenge, authorities said.
Two hours after Colclough was killed, shots rang out at the Curries Woods housing project, injuring two people. Some of the recovered shell casings matched those of the gun that Bey is accused of using earlier that night, they said.
Bey remained in federal custody, charged with assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering and discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig credited detectives from the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, along with Jersey City police and special agents with the FBI Newark Field Office with the investigation.
The three agencies participate in a Jersey City Violent Crime Initiative (VCI) which was established three years ago with “the sole purpose of combating violent crime in and around Jersey City,” she said.
Together, the federal, state, county, and local agencies collaborate “to strategize and prioritize the prosecution of violent offenders who endanger the safety of the community,” the U.S. attorney said.
Participants also include her office, the DEA, ATF, U.S. Marshals, the Hudson County Sheriff’s Office, New Jersey State Parole, the Hudson County Jail and the New Jersey State Police Regional Operations and Intelligence Center/Real Time Crime Center.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sophie E. Reiter of her Cybercrime Unit and Sarah Sulkowski of the Violent Crime Unit are handling the case, Honig said.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Middletown and receive free news updates.
