On November 19th, after the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide Unit charged a man with the murder of 28-year-old Christopher “Chris” Garcia, a second person has been charged with hindering. Chris Garcia was shot at a local Hoboken basketball court on Sunday, September 25th.
According to NJ.com, 38-year-old Demetria Huggins was arrested for providing false information to law enforcement in an attempt to prevent the arrest of Deon Williams. The arrest took place at a hotel on International Boulevard in Elizabeth.
Per Patch, 25-year-old Deon Williams was arrested on Saturday, November 19th by U.S. Marshals and charged with first-degree murder, unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and unlawful possession of a weapon. He was apprehended on International Boulevard in Elizabeth and taken to the Hudson County Correctional Facility pending his first court appearance.
Per ABC 7, officers were called to the scene after a shooting occurred at around 3:30AM on Sunday at Marshall Drive between 5th and 6th streets. Upon arrival, they found Chris with a gunshot wound in his torso. He was brought to Jersey City Medical Center by ambulance, where he was then pronounced dead at around 3:56AM, per Patch.
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Chris’ friends have since gathered to memorialize and honor him. Right after his passing in September, a crowd came together to place balloons and candles at his home on Jefferson Street.
Chris is remembered by his girlfriend, friends, family, parents, his sister, three brothers, and many more.
“He had this ability to do anything,” Chris’ best friend, Ric Selleck, said to ABC 7. “Whatever he wanted to commit to, he could do it. And whether it was doing T-shirts or leading community events or helping anybody out that he could help, and just bringing a smile, laughter, a fun personality that lit up a room. He was someone you wanted to be around.” Ric remembered Chris as a giving, compassionate person who would host community events to donate bikes and toys to children. Chris was also just starting his own businesses as a clothing designer.
“You wouldn’t know he was born with a hole in his heart, because his heart was big and the love he gave was real,” Chris’ girlfriend, Lynese Garcia, told ABC 7.
Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla also Tweeted his condolences.
“The entire community in Hoboken is deeply saddened by the tragic death of Chris Garcia last night,” he wrote. “Words cannot describe the suffering of a family from the loss of a young man in Chris.”
Anyone with information is urged to contact the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office at 201-915-1345 or visit their website to leave an anonymous tip. All information will be kept confidential.
There is a GoFundMe page available in Chris’ memory, started by neighbor and Barbes owner Lisa Hamrah Balouma.
“This young man was my neighbor and although I didn’t know him past a neighborly hello, he was very close to many special people in my life here in Hoboken,” the GoFundMe reads. “Yet another promising young man taken by gun violence, this time right here in Hoboken. Chris was an intelligent entrepreneur and his loyalty to our Hoboken community ran deep as you may learn in the news videos. Chris’s family along with Lynese, will be hosting an event in the near future, selling the merchandise from his Street Friends Clothing Line Company to honor his greatness and legacy.”
