UPDATE: Four Youths Arrested for Mother's Day Shooting in Essex County

Authorities arrested four teens on Wednesday in connection with the fatal shooting of a 15-year-old Newark boy, Al-Shakeen Woodson, during a motorcycle blessing event on Mother’s Day.

According to the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, a preliminary investigation indicated that the shooting was the result of a long-running feud between four local teens.

Woodson – who was shot at 7:45 p.m. and later died at University Hospital - was an innocent bystander, stated authorities.

Three adults were also shot and suffered non-life threatening injuries during the Newark Knights motorcycle club’s annual “Blessing of the Bikes,” which took place in the city’s South Ward and attracted hundreds of riders from across the state.

Authorities had been conducting a state-wide search for suspects in the wake of the shooting. [See related Patch article here]

On Thursday, police arrested Jaqeuce Spinks, 19, Marquise Cephus, 18, as well as an unidentified 16 and 17 year-old, all of Newark.

Prosecutors are alleging that Cephus and the 17-year-old juvenile were involved in a long-running feud with Spinks and the 16-year-old juvenile.

Authorities plan to charge Spinks and the 16-year-old with murder, and to charge Cephus and the other juvenile with weapons offenses, according to a release.

“The senseless killing of Al-Shakeen Woodson on Mother’s Day and the wounding of three others sparked outrage here in Newark,” stated Newark Police Director Eugene Venable in a release. “Gun violence has taken the life of a young man destined for better. This is the beginning of justice for the victims as their families continue on a long and arduous road through the healing process.”

Photos courtesy of the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office

Photo 1: Jaqeuce Spinks

Photo 2: Marquise Cephus