FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Raymond Worrall
PHONE: (201) 320-3550
EMAIL: rworrall@hcpo.org
DATE: Wednesday, July 5, 2023
THREE MEN CHARGED WITH MURDER IN 2020 SHOOTING INCIDENT IN JERSEY CITY
Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez has released the following information:
The Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide Unit has charged three Jersey City men in connection with the shooting of five men on June 20, 2020 in Jersey City, including the fatal shooting of Scott Colclough.
Lamont Wiggins, age 25, Sheldon Mays, age 23 and Jermaine Jennings, age 22 are all charged with Murder in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:11-3a(1) or (2), a crime of the first degree; Conspiracy to Commit Murder in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:5-2a(1) and 2C:11-3a, a crime of the first degree; four counts of Attempted Murder in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:5-1a(1) and 2C:11-3a, crimes of the first degree; four counts of Aggravated Assault in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:12-1b(1), crimes of the second degree; Unlawful Possession of a Weapon (handgun) in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:39-5b(1), a crime of the second degree; and Possession of a Weapon (firearm) for an Unlawful Purpose in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:39-4a(1), a crime of the second degree.
All three defendants face additional charges for criminal activity between May 2020 and August 2020. Wiggins is charged with Gang Criminality in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:33-29a, a crime of the first degree; and Unlawful Possession of a Weapon (handgun) in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:39-5b(1), a crime of the second degree. Mays is charged with Gang Criminality in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:33-29a, a crime of the first degree; and Unlawful Possession of a Weapon (handgun) in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:39-5b(1), a crime of the second degree. Jennings is charged with Possession of a Weapon (Community Gun) for an Unlawful Purpose in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:39-4a(2), a crime of the second degree; Gang Criminality in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:33-29a, a crime of the first degree; Use of a Juvenile in the Theft of an Automobile in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:20-17a, a crime of the second degree; Corruption of Public Resources in violation of N.J.S.A. 27-12b(1), a crime of the fourth degree; and Unlawful Possession of a Weapon (handgun) in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:39-5b(1), a crime of the second degree.
Wiggins and Mays are currently in custody at the Hudson County Correctional Facility on unrelated charges. Jennings is currently in custody at McKean Federal Correctional Institute in Pennsylvania on unrelated charges. The three defendants were indicted by a Grand Jury on the above charges on Thursday, June 29, 2023.
On June 20, 2020, at approximately 12:20 a.m., members of the Jersey City Police Department responded to a report of shots fired in the area of Union Street between Martin Luther King Drive and Ocean Avenue in Jersey City. Upon arrival, responding officers found multiple shooting victims.
One of the men, later identified as Scott Colclough, age 34, of Jersey City, was found with multiple gunshot wounds. Colclough was transported by Emergency Medical Services to Jersey City Medical Center where he was pronounced dead at approximately 12:37 a.m. The Regional Medical Examiner’s Office determined the Cause of Death to be Gunshot Wounds and the Manner of Death to be Homicide. Four other victims were found in the area with various gunshot wounds. The individuals were all transported by EMS to Jersey City Medical Center where they received treatment for their injuries.
Prosecutor Suarez credited the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide Unit and the Jersey City Police Department with the investigation and arrest. The above charges are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. R.P.C.3.6(b)(6)