Community Corner
Rally Held For Slain Maplewood Teen; Reward Reaches $44K (PHOTOS)
"Some people here know what happened and aren't talking. Shame on you," said a friend of slain Maplewood NJ teen Moussa Fofana.
MAPLEWOOD, NJ — Family and friends of Maplewood high school junior Moussa Fofana — who was shot to death by an unknown assailant on his high school's athletic complex the night of Sunday, June 6 — remembered the teen and demanded answers Wednesday night at a rally at Columbia High School.
The rally was followed by a march leading the mile from the high school to the entrance of Underhill Sports Complex, where Fofana and a friend were shot that night by a still unknown assailant, Fofana fatally.
"The 6th of June; that was the day of my nightmare," Fofana's mother Hawa said Wednesday. "It’s still a nightmare. I can’t sleep. I can’t eat. ... We’re here today because this beautiful boy has passed on and we have not had justice since. We want justice for this beautiful boy. I walk around the house trying to put this puzzle together. Maplewood, South Orange, I need everybody to put this puzzle [together] for me. This is a puzzle that one parent cannot build."
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The Essex County Prosecutor's Office, which is investigating the case as a homicide, has announced a reward fund for information that will lead to the identification of those responsible. Former Maplewood Mayor Fred Profeta and others have raised donations that bring the reward to $44,237. READ MORE: Reward Offered In Death Of Maplewood Teen
Fofana and another student from the high school were walking through the sports complex on that Sunday evening when they were both shot, Fofana fatally. Friends have said the pair may have been heading to another friend's house to watch a boxing match.
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Since then, no suspects or motive have been made public, and there have been no arrests as of this writing.
"It makes no sense," said longtime friend Zebrai Nakyah Carlisle. "He was such a beautiful person. This should never have happened. Why was such a beautiful, innocent life taken away from us? It makes no sense ... that some people here know what happened and aren't talking. If that is you, shame on you."
Other speakers Wednesday included Rich Pompelio, founder of the New Jersey Crime Victims’ Law Center, there to explain how anonymous tip lines work and the importance of providing the Fofana family with justice; Former Mayor Profeta to announce the new amount for the “Justice for Moussa Reward Fund” he started, and a representative of the family’s mosque.
A video of the rally is here.
Columbia High School, which Fofana attended, serves students from Maplewood and neighboring South Orange.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Essex County Prosecutor's Office Homicide/Major Crimes Task Force at 1-877-TIPS-4EC or 1-877-847-7432. Calls will be kept confidential.
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