Seven people were shot inside a New Jersey Chick-fil-A on the night of April 11, 2026, and one victim has died, according to authorities who say the violence appears to have been a targeted attack linked to gangs or drugs rather than a random act.
The Union County Prosecutor’s Office said Sunday that six others survived with non-life-threatening injuries after a masked group burst into the Route 22 location in Union Township near Gelb Avenue around 9 p.m., went behind the counter, and started shooting.
Investigators believe the person who died, Malek Shepherd, 23, of New York City, was the intended target. The six others hurt in the attack, including restaurant employees on duty that night, are thought to have been caught in the crossfire as bystanders.
Jaheed Fields, 20, of Newark, New Jersey, was arrested on May 1, nearly three weeks after the shooting. Union County Prosecutor William A. Daniel said the attack, carried out in a packed restaurant, was an affront to the public’s sense of safety and security. He was charged with one count of first-degree murder and six counts of attempted murder, unlawful possession of a handgun, and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose. He is in the Essex County jail waiting for his next court date.
Multiple witnesses described a chaotic scene at the fast-food restaurant. A man told CBS News New York that his girlfriend works at the location and that a group of men entered and walked directly behind the counter before opening fire.
One employee’s father told reporters his son called him in a panic, describing multiple suspects in masks rushing into the establishment. The father drove to the scene and found what he called “a warzone.”
A family member told CBS News New York their relative witnessed an altercation between the gunmen before shots rang out.
Witness video obtained by CBS News New York shows a person in a mask sprinting from the building with a handgun. Other figures are seen scattering across the parking lot. A separate clip shows one of the wounded, conscious and on a stretcher, being treated near an ambulance by EMTs.
Martin, a Lyft driver, told ABC7 New York he was finishing a trip nearby when the shooting started and heard more than seven shots. He said he then headed to the Chick-fil-A to grab food, but arrived to find the parking lot ringed with police cruisers.
Ben Wegner, who was working at Botera Cannabis across the street, said the aftermath was unlike anything he had seen.
New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill issued statements both on Sunday morning and Sunday afternoon as the death toll was confirmed and the investigation expanded. She said she had been briefed by local law enforcement and was in close contact with officials on the ground.
“We now know that last night’s shooting in Union Township tragically claimed one life and left six others injured,” Sherrill said in her afternoon statement. “Our hearts go out to the victim’s loved ones, and we are hoping for the full recovery of those who were injured.”
Union Township Mayor Patricia Guerra-Frazier called the attack “a painful reminder of the work that remains to ensure the safety of our communities,” adding that “violence has no place in the Township of Union.”
The Union County Prosecutor’s Office is leading the investigation and continues to canvass the area for surveillance footage, witness accounts, and any digital traces left by the suspects. Authorities are still working to determine a motive, though early indicators point to a dispute connected to drugs or gangs.
All Chick-fil-A locations are closed on Sundays, leaving the Union Township storefront dark as detectives processed the scene. The restaurant sits in a heavily trafficked stretch of Route 22 where many of the workers are young — a fact that has unsettled neighboring businesses whose employees say the violence felt uncomfortably close.