Authorities in Union Township, New Jersey, are searching for a group of masked gunmen who killed one person and injured six others during a brazen attack at a Chick-fil-A restaurant on Route 22 near Gelb Avenue on the night of April 11, 2026. Investigators believe the shooting was a targeted hit linked to gangs or drugs.
The Union County Prosecutor’s Office said in an April 12, 2026, update that one victim was pronounced dead at the scene around 9 p.m., while the other six sustained non-life-threatening injuries and were treated. The lone fatality has since been identified as Malek Shepherd, 23, of New York City, a customer who is believed to have been the intended target, according to the Union County Prosecutor’s Office. The other victims, including employees working on the night shift on April 11, are believed to have been bystanders caught in the crossfire. Among the injured was a high school student who had been working that night to save money for prom and college. Her mother said the restaurant had been one of her daughter’s favorite places, but the shooting had left her afraid to step outside.
A preliminary review of evidence indicates the shooting was not random, and the public faces no ongoing threat. Authorities are still working to determine a motive, though early indicators point to a dispute connected to drugs or gangs.
A man told CBS News New York that his girlfriend works at the restaurant and witnessed a group of men enter and walk directly behind the counter before opening fire. A family member who spoke with CBS News New York said their loved one saw an altercation between the gunmen before shots rang out.
The father of one Chick-fil-A employee 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.”
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 emergency medical technicians.
A Lyft driver named Martin 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. Route 22 in Union Township is a dense retail strip where workers from neighboring restaurants and shops watched the events unfold in real time.
New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill issued statements on April 12 in both morning and afternoon statements 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.
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.
No arrests have been made, and the suspects remain at large. Anyone with information has been asked to contact the Union County Prosecutor’s Office. Anonymous tips can be submitted by phone at 908-654-TIPS (8477) or online at uctip.org. Union County Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to an indictment and conviction.
