Post by Scumhunter on Jul 25, 2021 5:07:38 GMT -5
(Above photo credit: northjersey.com)
From northjersey.com:
A Maplewood teenager's dreams of playing professional soccer were dashed and his life cut short when he was fatally shot at the Underhill Sports field on June 6, but the shooter remains at-large.
Now, authorities and the community have partnered in the search for information related to his death, with Essex County Prosecutors and a former mayor offering a $20,000 reward.
Police responded to the field near Clinton Elementary School shortly after 9:30 p.m. on June 6, where they discovered 18-year-old Moussa Fofana and a second victim, both suffering gunshot wounds.
Fofana was pronounced dead at the scene almost an hour later, while the second victim was rushed to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
"The most important thing is justice for Moussa," said former Mayor Fred Profeta, who has added a personal check to bolster the now $20,000 award, offered by the Essex County Prosecutor's Office.
He continues to raise more funds for the reward from the community, which has been shaken by the killing.
A GoFundMe established in Fofana's honor for his family's expenses had already raised over $126,000 from more than 2,000 donors as of Thursday.
Fofana spent part of his childhood in Liberia before moving to Maplewood.
At the time of his death, he was a junior at Columbia High School, which serves Maplewood and South Orange.
He played as #25 for the CHS Cougars varsity soccer team and aspired to make it to a Pro-soccer league, according to a statement on the school district's website.
Teschnie Jean-Pierre, who donated to the family fund, posted to the fund's site and recalled her first meeting with Fofana, when he asked for some of her candy.
She accidentally poured more than half the bag into his hand by accident, but felt sheepish to take any back and let him keep the handful.
"He said, 'Thank you new friend, what’s your name again?'” Jean-Pierre wrote.
After she asked why he would want to be friends with a complete stranger, "He told me through his adorable accent 'I can tell [you're] a good person, you have a good heart. People like you I wanna be friends with.'”
"I’m gonna miss Moussa so much. In the end we weren’t friends, He was family," she wrote. "May his beautiful soul rest in Paradise.”
To offer a confidential tip, contact the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide/Major Crimes Task Force by calling 1 (877) 847-7432.
A "Justice for Moussa" rally has been planned for 6 p.m. on Wednesday at Columbia High School and will include a march to Underhill Field where he was shot.
www.northjersey.com/story/news/essex/2021/06/28/maplewood-nj-shooting-moussa-fofana-reward/5337857001/
Thoughts? This is a sad case but unfortunately also a baffling case as it seems right now no motive is known in any articles I can find, I saw one article where it was wondered if this tragedy could have been sparked from an argument, but unfortunately only the killer or killers knows the truth, and hopefully someone can identify them and leave a tip with the Essex County Prosecutor's Office where they can remain anonymous.
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