A New Jersey teen is facing murder charges in the shooting of a man on a city street corner earlier this month, officials announced Tuesday.
Davon White, 18, of Paterson, is one of three suspects accused of shooting 28-year-old Abel Angeles-Vergara in the afternoon of March 15, 2024, the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office said in a news release.
White and his two unnamed co-conspirators were in a Hyundai Elantra when the vehicle pulled over near the intersection of Market and Pennington streets in Paterson at approximately 5:20 p.m., officials said.
The three suspects then exited the vehicle and “began firing handguns,” Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Paterson Police Officer in Charge Patrick Murray said in a joint statement.
The victim was struck “multiple times,” according to police. He was transported to Saint Joseph’s University Medical Center where he died.
Investigators later determined that White was one of the shooters, officials said. The two other individuals have not yet been identified by police.
White was arrested without incident on Monday and charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, as well as weapon charges. If convicted on the murder charge, he could be sentenced to life in prison.
He remained in custody Tuesday morning awaiting his first appearance in court. The prosecutor’s office said it would file a motion for pre-trial detention, which will be heard by a judge at a date and time to be determined by the court.
Anyone with information about the shooting is urged to contact the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office at 1-877-370-PCPO or tips@passaiccountynj.org. Those who don’t wish to be identified can use the office’s anonymous tip online tool.
Paterson, the largest city in Passaic County, is located approximately 20 miles west of Manhattan.