Murdered Newark Boy, 14, Had 30 Bricks Of Heroin And Loaded Gun In Bedroom

A murdered Newark boy, 14, was the tenth victim of homicide in the troubled city in a ten day span, and reports indicate that the young teen’s shooting wasn’t the only horrible part of the sad story.

Wednesday night, the 14-year-old Newark boy was shot dead in a housing complex, and ABC reports that a subsequent investigation uncovered some worrisome details:

“The incident happened at the Riverview Terrace Housing Complex on Riverview Court, where the boy lived. Police identified the victim as Ali Rajohn Eric Henderson, who was gunned down in the courtyard area… No motive has been identified in the shooting, although sources have told Eyewitness News that a large amount of heroin and weapons were found inside the 14 year old victim’s bedroom.”

While Henderson was killed in the city’s east end, the bulk of the many killings in the past week and a half have been linked to drugs and gang violence in Newark’s South Ward. Anti-violence advocates are calling for immediate action after Henderson’s senseless death, and Donna Jackson of the Newark Anti-Violence Coalition pled for a response:

“The level of danger in this city is at an all-time high… For those of us here in Newark, we’re not just the number one carjacking city in the world, we’re the number one murder, crime city in this country, and we need help.”

Gothamist reports that homicide detectives searched the 14-year-old’s room after he was shot dead, finding “30 bricks of heroin, a loaded 9mm Smith & Wesson handgun and a box of.357 ammunition.”

Henderson was set to start high school the day after he was shot, and mom Jennie Henderson said near a memorial for her son at the scene:

“I just want them to find who killed them… He was just a baby.”

The 14-year-old shot had been arrested on August 15 for possession of crack cocaine. The street value of the heroin bricks found in the teen’s bedroom was about $30,000.