Two Jersey City Men Charged For Roles In Shootout

JERSEY CITY, NJ — Two Jersey City charged for their part in a shootout men had their day in court on Thursday.

Shamir Blunt, 35, and Mark Franklin, 29, are facing possession of ammunition charges.

On the morning of May 23, 2021, Blunt was standing on the sidewalk in front of a bodega in the Grove Street area of Jersey City and Franklin was parked across the street. Franklin got out of his car, and the two men started arguing, according to the charging documents. Blunt walked to the bodega and opened the door and Franklin followed him.

As Blunt entered the bodega, Franklin punched him in the face several times, according to the charging documents. The two struggled until Franklin pulled a gun out and fired a shot, according to charging documents. Police later recovered a 9-millimeter shell casing from Franklin’s gun inside the bodega. Franklin then left and put the gun back inside his hoodie.

When Blunt came out of the bodega, he ran at Franklin and shot at him twice from close range, according to charging documents — Franklin fell to the ground, and then he pulled out his own gun and returned fire. The two men continued to exchange gun shots from across the street.

Franklin and Blunt shot at each other over 15 times, and both men were hit. They went to Jersey City Medical Center where police found their cars.

Police also later found at least nine 9-millimeter shell casings from Franklin’s gun and at least four 9-millimeter shell casings from Blunt’s gun. They also found several bullets lodged in parked cars and in windows of nearby businesses.

At the time, both Blunt and Franklin had at least one prior felony conviction. The felon in possession of ammunition charges carry a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.