The primary suspect in the fatal shooting that took place in Plainfield the weekend before last has been arrested, acting Union County Prosecutor Jennifer Davenport and Plainfield Police Director Carl Riley jointly announced Wednesday.
Members of the Union County Homicide Task Force and U.S. Marshals Service apprehended 18-year-old Samir Crews of North Plainfield without incident Tuesday morning in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, several days after murder and related weapons charges were filed in Superior Court in connection with the death of 19-year-old David Perez of Plainfield.
Plainfield Police Division patrol units responding to a report of a shooting in the area of West Fourth Street and Monroe Avenue at approximately 4:10 p.m. on Sunday, April 28 found Perez there suffering from gunshot wounds, according to Union County Assistant Prosecutor Colleen Ruppert, who is prosecuting the case. Perez was transported to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, where he was pronounced dead, Ruppert said.
Crews awaits extradition back to New Jersey, after which a first appearance and detention hearing will be scheduled.
Perez’s death remains under active investigation. Anyone with information about the shooting still is being urged to contact Homicide Task Force Sgt. Danika Ramos at 908-451-7739 or Detective Sean Holcomb at 908-358-8377. The Union County Crime Stoppers also are continuing to offer a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to any additional arrests and indictments in this case; tips can be given anonymously by phone at 908-654-TIPS (8477) or online at www.uctip.org.
The Prosecutor’s Office sincerely thanks the Plainfield Police Division, Union County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Unit, Union County Police Department Ballistics Unit, North Plainfield Police Department, Bethlehem (Pennsylvania) Police Department, and the U.S. Marshals for their assistance in this investigation.
Convictions on charges of this nature are commonly punishable by terms of 30 years to life in state prison.
These criminal charges are mere accusations. Each defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.