SOMERVILLE, NJ (Somerset County) – Three teens have been sentenced in connection with the fatal shooting of 57-year-old taxi driver Kofi Addo, who was killed during a robbery in Franklin Township in May 2023, according to Somerset County Prosecutor’s office.
On May 11, 2023, at around 9:56 p.m., police responded to a 9-1-1 call reporting a shooting in the area of Rose Street and Sydney Place in Somerset.
Officers arrived at the scene and found the victim, Kofi Addo, suffering from a gunshot wound. His taxi had come to rest after crashing into a parked vehicle in the driveway of a residence on Sydney Place.
Police, along with emergency medical personnel from a nearby trauma center, responded to the scene and performed life-saving measures on Addo. He was then transported to the trauma center, where he was later pronounced dead.
The investigation, led by the Franklin Township Police Department and the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office, revealed that three male juveniles, ages 14 and 13, were responsible for the robbery and shooting. The juveniles had intended to rob Addo, who was operating his taxi at the time. During the robbery, one of the juveniles fired a shot that killed Addo before the group fled on foot from the scene.
The juveniles were arrested and charged in connection with the crime. The sentencing details are as follows: a 14-year-old from Somerset was sentenced to 11 years for first-degree murder, first-degree robbery, second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and second-degree unlawful possession of a handgun; a 13-year-old from New Brunswick was sentenced to 8 years for first-degree felony murder and first-degree robbery; and a 13-year-old from Somerset was sentenced to 4 years for first-degree robbery.
Under New Jersey law, the juveniles were not prosecuted as adults because they were under 15 years old at the time of the crime. There are no mandatory minimum sentences for juvenile offenders in New Jersey.
Somerset County Prosecutor Robert McDonald praised the collaborative efforts of the law enforcement agencies involved in the investigation, including the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office, the Middlesex County SWAT Team, the New Brunswick Police Department, and the FBI’s Franklin Resident Office.
