A Newark man, who was also a member of the Rollin’ 60s Neighborhood Crips gang, was handed a decades-long prison sentence after he confessed to a series of crimes officials said left a “trail of blood” across north Jersey.
Elijah Williams in 2015 became a member of the New Jersey gang, “a criminal enterprise responsible for acts of violence and the distribution of controlled substances in the District of New Jersey and elsewhere,” according to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office District of New Jersey. From then on, he engaged in a slew of illegal activities, including on Sept. 25, 2018, when he opened fire in Newark in a bid to kill a rival gang member and their associates.
Four people were struck, including one person who was left paralyzed, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said.
The following year, in March, Williams shot a person near Irvington High School. Sellinger said the violence was retaliation for the murder of a member and associate of the Rollin’ 60s.
Williams back in April pleaded guilty to racketeer influenced and corrupt organizations, or RICO, conspiracy. He was sentenced on Thursday to 28 years behind bars as well as an additional five years of supervised release.
“Elijah Williams brazenly shot multiple rival gang members, murdering one, paralyzing another, and leaving a trail of blood,” Sellinger said in a statement. “Gang shootings jeopardize the safety of innocent residents in our communities and make the public less safe. The sentence handed down today ensures that Williams will spend decades behind bars, away from the streets he terrorized.”