Four people have been charged in connection with a mass shooting in Newark last month that killed three people, including a 10-year-old boy. Authorities say they’re still seeking other potential suspects.
But the announcement of the arrests Thursday morning by Essex County Prosecutor Theodore Stephens’ office was overshadowed by news of another, unrelated mass shooting — one that officials said resulted in two deaths and two injuries Wednesday night.
“Unfortunately the city of Newark experienced additional traumas,” Stephens said at a press conference. “You know, when it comes to public safety and law enforcement, sometimes we feel like we're taking one step forward and we take two steps back.”
Stephens began his remarks by acknowledging Wednesday's shooting, which took place at a recording studio on Clinton Avenue. He didn’t provide information identifying those victims.
Both of the people injured Wednesday were transported to University Hospital, and one has been released, Stephens said.
Beyond that, the investigation into what happened was “active and ongoing,” Stephens said, so “there isn’t much I can share.”
He then addressed the November shooting: After “hundreds of man hours of good, old-fashioned police work,” four people are now in custody for the deaths of 10-year-old Jordan Garcia, 19-year-old Masi Rogers and 21-year-old Kiyah Mae Scott, he said.
Almuta Thomas, 31, Furquan Boykin Jr., 19, Quayon Williams-King, 26, and an unnamed juvenile have all been arrested on three counts of first-degree murder as well as several other charges, including second-degree conspiracy to commit murder and second-degree aggravated assault.
A break in the case came after investigators were able to identify a stolen vehicle they allege the suspects used. When police located the vehicle, it had been set on fire, but additional surveillance efforts led them to a second vehicle leaving the scene of the arson, Stephens said.
That second vehicle was involved in “an eluding incident” with law enforcement 36 hours later, Stephens said, identifying Williams-King as the driver. Firearms discovered in the vehicle did not match those used in the shooting, according to the prosecutor.
“While we are certain that we have the right individuals that we've arrested in this, there may be others involved,” Stephens said. “So of course, this is still a continuing investigation.”
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka acknowledged the double tragedies when he spoke following Stephens’ announcement. He called for shared responsibility in preventing future violence.
“It’s up to us, not just the police department and the law enforcement agencies, it's up to us, it's up to community groups, to fathers, to mothers to [the city’s Office of Violence Prevention and Trauma Recovery], to folks like that who are on the street to begin to head these things off at the pass, to stop them before they begin,” Baraka said.
Newark Public Safety Director Emanuel Miranda said reported homicides overall are down. As of Thursday, police have documented 30 murders for 2025, he said, the lowest number by this time of year since the 1950s. Miranda said law enforcement had also recovered more than 550 guns so far this year.
“While those are great numbers, it doesn't mean anything to the victims,” he said. “It doesn't mean anything to the family of the victims. … But it's something that let us know that we have to continue to work hard to make sure it doesn't happen again.”
The Essex County sheriff’s office had offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in the November case, but no one has claimed the money, officials said.
