ELIZABETH – One man is dead and three others are injured – one critically – after a pair of apparently unrelated shootings in the city last week.
A 33-year-old man was shot and killed as he sat outside his Flora Street home early last Thursday morning. Two other men were wounded in a double shooting last Tuesday night at the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and Trinity Place.
Christopher Cunningham was shot four times around 1:30 a.m. on Aug. 7. He was taken to University Hospital in Newark where he was pronounced dead, authorities said.
Cunningham’s 26-year-old friend, who was sitting outside with him, also suffered a gunshot wound to the lower body. He was treated at University Hospital and released.
The killing – the city’s tenth this year – remains under investigation, and police would not speculate on a possible motive. There are no suspects, police said Tuesday.
Police believe that Jeffrey Taylor, 33, of Rahway, and Derric Boyce, 29, of Roselle may have shot each other around 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 5.
When officers arrived at the scene, they found Taylor at the International House of Pancakes on North Broad Street, where he had run for help, according to authorities. Boyce, who remained in critical condition Tuesday, was found in a parked vehicle on Pennsylvania Avenue. Both men had suffered gunshots to the head, according to police. Both were taken to University Hospital in Newark.
Police are interviewing witnesses and have spoken to Taylor, who is in stable condition. There are currently no suspects, police said. No weapons were recovered.
Union County Crimestoppers is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for the arrest and indictment of those involved in the homicide or the Tuesday shootings. Anyone with information can call the 24-hour hot line at (908) 654-TIPS.
