Police Make Arrest In Fatal Shooting Of Mother Of 4 Outside Jersey City Liquor Store
JERSEY CITY, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- An arrest has been made in the shooting death of a mother of four in Jersey City.
Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez's Office announced late Saturday night the arrest of an East Orange man in the killing of 36-year-old Aieshia McFadden. She was found outside a liquor store with a gunshot wound to the torso on Friday at around 8:30 p.m.
Earlier, CBS2's Kiran Dhillon spoke to members of the community who knew McFadden. They said she'd do anything for her kids.
"She really, really loved her children. She loved them. That's all she talked about," Jersey City resident Latresha Thomas said.
Thomas said she met McFadden years ago when they lived in the same neighborhood, adding she last saw her a few weeks ago.
"She was asking me about my children and told me how big her kids were getting," Thomas said. "She was an all-around nice person. She was the life of the party. You'd see her and she'd be yelling. 'Hey girl.' She was just a really sweet person."
Thomas is now deeply saddened to hear about McFadden's death.
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Police said McFadden was found in the area of Martin Luther King Drive and Bidwell Avenue. She was taken to the hospital where she was pronounced dead.
The liquor store is not far from the kosher grocery store where three people were shot to death in December 2019.
FLASHBACK: Jersey City Shooting: 6 Dead Including Police Detective, 2 Suspects, 3 Civilians
Chris Gadsden is the principal of Lincoln High School, where McFadden was a cafeteria worker.
"She had a great relationship with the kids in the building. She was just a part of the school, part of the school culture," Gadsden said.
The principal said he's heard from the community that McFadden was around the liquor store on Friday night when a man approached her and touched her inappropriately. He said McFadden got upset, an argument ensued, and the young woman was then shot.
Gadsden, along with other community advocates, said more resources and protections are needed to keep women safe.
"She wasn't protected. Trying to protect herself is what got her killed and that is sad as a Black woman in America. So I think we have to do much better," said Pam Johnson of the Jersey City Anti-Violence Community.
In the meantime, the advocates and Thomas are praying for McFadden's four children.
"She's going to be missed by a lot of people because a lot of people loved her," Thomas said.
