On 6th Anniversary Of Union Co. Shooting, Investigators Seek Help

UNION COUNTY, NJ — Feb. 26 marks the sixth anniversary of a Union County shooting in which a Rahway entrepreneur was fatally shot in the downtown sneaker store he owned and operated.

Union County investigators are now asking members of the public to come forward with any information, as part of their continued efforts to solve the crime. Prosecutor William A. Daniel, Rahway Police Chief Director Jonathan Parham and Chief LawEnforcement Officer Captain David DeSordi made this joint announcement on Friday.

Here is what the police know about the incident:

At approximately 9:15 p.m. on Feb. 26 in 2016, Rahway Police found 21-year-old Jamal "Mally" Gaines suffering from a gunshot would at the East Coast Boutique on the 1500 block of Irving Street. Gaines was pronounced dead shortly after.

A joint investigation with the Union County Homicide Task Force, Rahway Police and the Union County Sheriff’s Office’s Crime Scene Unit revealed that minutes before police arrived, two people — with their faces partially covered — entered the sneaker store through a rear utility door. A fight broke out and ended when the fatal shot was fired.

At that point, the two suspects ran out of the building through the rear door and were later seen on surveillance footage sprinting down a back alley, with one of the two limping as they escaped.

The Prosecutor's Office is re-releasing a video clip pulled from that footage.

The suspect with the limp was wearing dark pants, light-colored sneakers and a dark hooded sweatshirt with a light-colored patch on the left arm. The other suspect was wearing a lighter-colored hooded sweatshirt, blue jeans and brown or beige shoes. They were both holding handguns.

“Mr. Gaines was a young, driven man, who followed his dream by owning and operating a business he felt deeply passionate about,” Prosecutor Daniel said. “Sadly, in living that dream he senselessly lost his life and we remain as firmly committed today as we did six years ago in finding these cold-blooded killers and to bringing justice for him and his loved ones.”

Anyone with information about the shooting is urged to contact Prosecutor’s Office Detective Ryan Kirsh at 908-347-1420. The Union County Crime Stoppers also are continuing to offer a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to an arrest and indictment in this case.

Tips can be given anonymously by phone at 908-654-TIPS (8477) or online at www.uctip.org.