Two men were shot and killed in North Arlington, New Jersey, on Sunday night, and authorities have now released their names as the investigation into the double homicide moves forward. The deaths mark a burst of deadly violence in the Bergen County borough, and officials have been piecing together what led to the gunfire that left two people dead.
The shooting unfolded Sunday night, and video from the scene showed police taping off the area near Ridge Road on the Belleville Turnpike as officers began their work. The cordoned-off streets underscored the scale of the response as investigators secured the location and began gathering evidence in the hours after the shooting.
In a new development, prosecutors identified the two men who were killed as 28-year-old Brian Dominic Lockett and 29-year-old Ezekiel Aquino. The release of their names came as the Bergen County authorities continued to build their case and to notify those connected to the two victims of what had happened.
Investigators said they believe the shooting stemmed from a fight between two small groups. That early assessment points to some form of dispute or confrontation that escalated into gunfire, though officials have not publicly detailed exactly how the encounter turned deadly or what the groups may have been arguing about.
The Bergen County Prosecutor's Office has been leading the investigation, working to reconstruct the sequence of events that ended with two men dead. Homicide detectives in such cases typically canvass the neighborhood, review any available surveillance footage and interview witnesses to establish a timeline and identify those involved.
For the North Arlington community, the killings brought an unsettling scene to a corner of the borough, with the police presence and crime-scene tape marking where the two lives were lost. Neighbors were left with questions about how a fight between two groups could end in such violence so close to home.
As the investigation continues, authorities have been focused on determining precisely what happened and who was responsible. Prosecutors said the case remained active, and they urged anyone with information about the shooting to come forward as they work to bring accountability for the deaths of Lockett and Aquino.