Teen suspect in deadly Jersey City shooting to be tried as adult after 15-year-old girl killed in car
Jersey City, NJ – A 17-year-old accused of opening fire on two females inside a car on a Jersey City street, killing a 15-year-old girl and injuring her relative, will face the full weight of the law as an adult in a criminal courtroom.
The teenager, identified as Willie Shuler of Jersey City, has been charged with murder, attempted murder, aggravated assault, and multiple weapons offenses in connection with the January 18 shooting that claimed the life of Cianna Lee and left a 37-year-old woman hospitalized. The Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office confirmed that Shuler will be tried as an adult following a court waiver, bringing him into the adult criminal system.
The deadly encounter unfolded just after 11 p.m. near Martin Luther King Drive and Union Street. Police were called to the scene and soon discovered a bullet-riddled vehicle nearby on Oak Street, where the two victims were found inside. Lee was rushed to Jersey City Medical Center but was pronounced dead shortly after 1:20 a.m. The second victim, identified only as a relative of Lee’s, survived a gunshot wound and was treated at the same hospital.
Shuler faces a first-degree murder charge under N.J.S.A. 2C:11-3a(1), as well as attempted murder, aggravated assault, possession of a weapon for unlawful purpose, and unlawful possession of a weapon — all serious indictable offenses under New Jersey law.
Officials have not released a possible motive, and the investigation remains ongoing. Shuler, like all defendants, is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
The court’s decision to charge Shuler as an adult underscores the gravity of the case, which shook residents in the heart of Jersey City. The fatal shooting of a teenage girl, and the broad daylight violence that accompanied it, sparked outrage and calls for justice earlier this year.
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Key Points
- A 17-year-old male will be prosecuted as an adult for a fatal January shooting in Jersey City that killed 15-year-old Cianna Lee
- The teen suspect, Willie Shuler, faces murder, attempted murder, and multiple weapons charges
- Lee and a female relative were found shot inside a car near Oak Street; the older victim survived