Ismael Leon, 19, of Paterson was charged with murder and weapons offenses and a 17-year-old Clifton boy was issued a delinquency complaint in connection with the cold-blooded slaying of Jose Figueroa, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Paterson Police Chief Ibrahim Baycora announced Friday.
They joined Chelsee Ramirez, 19, and another 17-year-old accused of gunning down Figueroa at the corner of Totowa and Redwood avenues shortly before 7 p.m. May 1.
A team of shooters were recruited, transported and positioned to kill the victim that night, Valdes and Baycora said.
Responding officers found Figueroa in the street with several bullet wounds. He was taken to St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center in Paterson, where he was later pronounced dead.
Police established a perimeter, assisted by a Passaic County Sheriff’s K-9 unit, and reported recovering a handgun.
An investigation “revealed that the shooting was a coordinated attack involving multiple shooters in multiple locations,” Valdes and Baycora said in a joint release.
Leon, Ramirez and both 17-year-olds were involved in “the planning and execution of the shooting. including transporting the shooters to the scene,” they added.
Leon and Ramirez were being held in the Passaic County Jail. Both boys remained held at the Essex County Juvenile Detention Center in Newark.
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