Four Charged In Fatal Shooting Of Two Cousins In Bergen County, Prosecutors Say

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — Two weeks after cousins were fatally shot on a Bergen County street, four have been arrested in connection with the shooting, officials said Tuesday.

Altray Brown, 33, of Irvington, Leibys Mercedes, 26, of Linden, Lydell Mercedes, 24, of Linden, and Yolanda Montgomery, 30, of Newark were charged in connection with the shootings of Brian Lockett and Ezequiel Aquino on July 19, officials said.

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Leibys Mercedes and Lydell Mercedes were charged with first-degree murder and with weapons offenses, prosecutors said.

Brown and Montgomery were charged with endangering the welfare of a child, among other offenses, because two children under 5 were in their cars unsecured when they fled, prosecutors said.

The Crime

Prosecutors said last month that North Arlington police headed to the corner of Ridge Road and Belleville Turnpike, near the border with Kearny, shortly after 8:30 p.m. on July 19.

Lockett, 28, of North Arlington and Aquino, 29, of Newark, were found with gunshot wounds and pronounced dead at the University Hospital in Newark, said the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office.

A fundraiser for Lockett described him as a loving father and son, and said that the other victim, Aquino, was his cousin.

ABC News quoted a family member of the two men as saying a fight broke out at a a custody exchange involving a child.

An investigation determined that Leibys Mercedes was the shooter, and the other three suspects were involved in the altercation, prosecutors said Tuesday.

The four fled in two vehicles, prosecutors said.

When Brown and Montgomery left, they had two children under 5 in their vehicle, and neither was in a car seat, prosecutors said.

None of the four reported the incident to law enforcement, and "left both victims injured at the crime scene," prosecutors said.

Pulled Over In East Brunswick

On July 22, a court-authorized search warrant was executed at a private home in Plainfield, prosecutors said. There, Altray Brown and Yolanda Montgomery were arrested and charged with two counts of third-degree endangering an injured victim. They were also charged with endangering the welfare of a child.

Last Thursday, they made first appearances in Superior Court and were ordered released, prosecutors said.

Warrants were issued for Leibys Mercedes and Lydell Mercedes, charging them with two counts of first-degree murder and with weapons offenses, prosecutors said.

Lydell Mercedes was caught when East Brunswick police pulled him over while conducting a routine traffic stop and found the warrant. He was taken to the Bergen County Jail.

Leibys Mercedes was arrested in Newark on Monday and taken to jail as well, prosecutors said.

Services for both victims were held last week.