Burlington County Men Charged In August Willingboro Shooting Death

Monday, September 29, 2025, 6:45  A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,

WILLINGBORO, NJ.- Three Burlington County, New Jersey, men are facing up to life in State Prison after being taken into custody and jailed after being charged in connection with the August 2025 alleged target shooting death of a 43-year-old Trenton, New Jersey, man as he was sitting in a motor vehicle in the Pennypacker Park section of Willingboro Township, New Jersey.

     According to Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia L. Bradshaw, Elijah B. Ervin, 33, Shaheed L. Ervin, 39, and Earl T. Johnson, 29, all of Willingboro Township, New Jersey, were each charged with one count of first-degree Murder; first-degree Conspiracy to Commit Murder; second-degree Unlawful Possession of a Weapon; second-degree Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose; and all three were additionally charged with second-degree Certain Persons Not Possess Weapons.

     Elijah Ervin was taken into custody on August 12, 2025, and Shaheed Ervin was apprehended on August 26, 2025. Following being taken into custody, both men were lodged in the Burlington County Jail and appeared for a subsequent detention hearing and were ordered detained pending trial. 

     Earl Johnson was taken into custody at a residence in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on September 17, 2025, and is currently being held at the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility in Philadelphia pending extradition to New Jersey.

Arrests And Charges Are The Result Of A Homicide Investigation

     The arrests and charges stem from an investigation that began on Sunday, August 10, 2025, when, shortly after 9:00 p.m., members of the Willingboro Township Police Department responded to a report of a shooting in the area of Paddock Lane and Poppy Turn in the Township. Upon arrival, Police Officers located Bruce Hall, Jr., 43, of Trenton, New Jersey, seated inside a parked pickup truck, having succumbed to gunshot wounds. Mr. Hall was subsequently pronounced deceased at the scene.

     During a swift-moving investigation, Detective Shawn McDonough and Detective Kaitlin White of the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office, along with Detective Joseph Abadia of the Willingboro Township Police Department, identified and linked the Ervins and Johnson as suspects, and warrants were issued for their arrest.

“The rules of the court require us to include a statement that states: The charges outlined in this publication are merely accusations, and the defendant and or defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt.”