$10,000 reward for info in fatal shooting of NJ teen basketball star
EAST ORANGE — A reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest of those responsible for the fatal shooting of a 16-year-old minutes after he left school on Monday.
The Essex County Sheriff’s Crime Stoppers Program has put up $10,000 to find who fired multiple shots at Letrell Duncan at the intersection of Lincoln Street and Park Avenue. He was pronounced dead at University Hospital within a half hour of the shooting.
No arrests have been made, according to Essex County Prosecutor's Office spokesman Robert Florida.
Duncan's aunt Marsha Douglas told The New York Times that Duncan and some friends "had words" with "two young men" after leaving East Orange Campus High School but brushed it off. Moments later the group was approached again by two masked individuals with a gun.
East Orange police told the Times that violent crime in the city declined by 25% between 2017 and 2021. There have been eight reported homicides so far this year.
Essex County Sheriff Armando Fontoura asked anyone with information to contact the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide/Major Crimes Task Force Tips Line at 1-877-847-7432, 1-877-TIPS-4EC, or the East Orange Police Department Tips Hotline at 973-266-5041. Calls will be kept confidential.
Bright basketball future
"Trell" was a star basketball player for East Orange Campus and led the team with 180 points scored during the 2021-22 season as a freshman, according to stats maintained by NJ.com.
Gov. Phil Murphy offered condolences in a retweet of a New York Times news story about the shooting.
"The loss of Letrell Duncan, a 16-year-old rising basketball standout who was only a sophomore at East Orange High School when he was shot and killed yesterday afternoon, is a tragic one. Our hearts are with his family and those who knew and loved him," the governor tweeted.
A GoFundMe page was also created to help the family with funeral costs and other financial needs.
Dan Alexander is a reporter for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at dan.alexander@townsquaremedia.com
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