Jersey City Mass Shooting Hits Close to Home for the NFL
Jets wide receiver Quincy Enunwa was among the hundreds of people on lockdown in nearby schools as a mass shooting took place in Jersey City. | Credit: Rick Loomis/Getty Images/AFP
- A mass shooting in Jersey City, N.J. on Tuesday left six people dead.
- Jets star Quincy Enunwa was among the hundreds in lockdown at nearby schools.
- The sixth-year veteran has a long history of giving back to local youth.
A mass shooting in Jersey City, N.J. on Tuesday left six people dead, including two suspects and a police officer.
The incident began midday at Bay View cemetery, when an officer approached one of the gunmen about an earlier homicide and was shot dead. The suspects then fled to a kosher market in the Greenville neighborhood where the shooting continued. Three civilians were killed as the gunmen exchanged open fire with police, according to The New York Times .
Jets Star Took Shelter With Schoolchildren
Witnesses told The Times that the shootout at Martin Luther King Dr. and Bayview Ave. lasted approximately 15 minutes and included “at least” eight police officers. Twelve nearby schools were put on lockdown, including one where New York Jets wide receiver Quincy Enunwa was speaking to a group of young students.
According to Tina Cervasio of FOX 5 New York , Enunwa took shelter with students and teachers as gunfire erupted outside the school.
Less than a half hour after news of his involvement in the lockdown was reported, Enunwa and the school were given the all clear for safety by police. He was on his way home approximately 90 minutes after the shooting first began.
A History Of Philanthropy
It should come as no surprise to Jets fans that Enunwa was using his free time in between football commitments to speak with local youths.
The sixth-year veteran was New York’s 2017 nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, given annually to the NFL player who pairs “outstanding community service activities off the field as well as excellence on the field.” The honor ultimately went to Houston Texans superstar J.J. Watt but not for Enunwa’s lack of impact in the tri-state area.
He was intimately involved in the formation of the Jets’ NFL Flag Football League, which allows 1,200 local kids to participate free of charge. Enunwa has also spoken to tens of youth football teams in the area over the years and made multiple visits to the Henry Street Settlement , a non-profit social service program in Manhattan’s Lower East Side. In May 2017, he was named the United Way of New York City’s Hometown Hero at the 24th annual Gridiron Gala.
Unfortunately for Enunwa, his 2019 campaign was cut short after just one game when he suffered a season-ending neck injury in Week 1. He previously missed the entirety of the 2017 season with a neck injury.
Enunwa, 27, has 119 catches for 1,617 yards and five touchdowns with the Jets since being selected in the sixth round of the 2014 draft.
