EDISON – As the investigation continues into the fatal shooting of a Newark man at the Akbar restaurant where a Reggae event was being held, township officials are seeking answers into safety procedures during special events.
“If an establishment has an event such as what took place at the Akbar, the establishment usually contacts the police department to inform us,” Police Chief Thomas Bryan said. “In this specific case, we were not informed ahead of time and did not know what was happening until we were called.”
When having an event, most establishments provide private security and supplement that with police presence, Bryan said.
On April 3, Andrew Harriot, also known as Drew Cash, 26, of the Somerset section of Franklin Township, surrendered to authorities at the Middlesex County Courthouse in the fatal shooting of a Newark man and the shooting of another man in the early morning hours of March 23.
Police have charged Harriot with one count of first degree murder and one count of attempted murder in the first degree. The charges were filed following an investigation by Police Detective Loren Long of the Edison Police Department and Detective Michael Connelly of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office.
It was determined at approximately 1:56 a.m. outside the Akbar Restaurant on Cortland Street in Edison, Harriot allegedly fired the gun, which killed Nahshon Brown, 31, of Newark, and critically injured another 40-year-old man from Newark.
A resident, who attended a council meeting on March 25, asked officials what is being done to prevent incidents such as the recent fatal shooting as well as the fatal shooting of a 38-year-old Fords man, who was a gas station clerk at the Speedway Gas Station on Amboy Avenue, on Dec. 20, 2018.
For the fatal shooting at the Speedway, Marcus A. Wright, 22, of Beaufort, South Carolina, was charged with first degree murder and first degree armed robbery, and Olya Quinnam, 22, also of Beaufort, was charged with conspiracy to commit armed robbery and hindering apprehension, according to police.
Police Capt. Salvatore Filannino said the police department has increased patrols with the department’s new Street Crime Unit and regular patrol in the area following both incidents.
In January, the department launched the new specialized Street Crimes Unit. Bryan had said the unit allows the department to take a “proactive approach” to crack down on crimes that most adversely affect quality of life in the township.
Council President Alvaro Gomez said in addition when an incident occurs at a venue, the state Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) gets heavily involved to make sure some form of corrective action can take place.
“These are issues that are not traditional Edison events … there’s no proper way to control them,” he said.
Bryan said the department has an officer who specializes in liquor license procedures and compliance who works hand in hand with the ABC.
“I am not aware of any past violations at the Akbar,” he said. “We do have procedures in place to address such events; however, I am not at liberty to discuss those procedures as they are confidential.”
Filannino added the department’s detective bureau is continuously doing its due diligence on their own through social media platforms to seek out any upcoming events in the case the department does not get notified prior to the event.
Councilman Joe Coyle asked if the council could implement an ordinance to require private establishments to notify the township of events prior to the event date. Township Attorney William Northgrave said he would have to look into the request.
The investigation into the incident at the Akbar is active and is continuing. Anyone with information is asked to call Long at 732-248-7531 or Connelly at 732-745-3254.