Authorities in New Jersey are searching for a group of masked gunmen who killed one person and injured six others during a shooting inside a Chick-fil-A restaurant in Union Township on Saturday night, April 11, 2026.
The violence erupted around 9 p.m. at the fast-food restaurant on Route 22 near Gelb Avenue. The masked group stormed the location, walked behind the counter and opened fire in what investigators believe was a targeted hit tied to a drug or gang dispute. When officers arrived, they found seven victims inside. One was pronounced dead at the scene. The other six were treated for non-life-threatening injuries, the Union County Prosecutor’s Office said in an update on Sunday.
The victim who died has been identified as Malek Shepherd, 23, of New York City.
No arrests have been made, and the suspects remain at large. Union County Crime Stoppers has offered a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to an indictment and conviction.
Investigators say a preliminary review of the evidence indicates the shooting was not random and that the public faces no ongoing threat. According to ABC7 New York, the lone fatality is believed to have been the intended target. The other victims — including employees working the Saturday night shift — are believed to have been bystanders caught in the crossfire.
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.
A man told CBS News New York that his girlfriend works at the restaurant and that a group of men entered and walked directly behind the counter before opening fire. A family member who spoke with CBS News New York said their loved one witnessed 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.”
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 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 feels uncomfortably close.
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. The reward of up to $10,000 via Union County Crime Stoppers remains in place as the search for the masked gunmen continues.
