Crossing guard Edna James was hard at work on Thursday, Sept. 6, the first day of school for the East Orange School District’s 2018-2019 year. She lamented the death of Kofi Owens, a teacher at the school.
EAST ORANGE, NJ — Photo by Although the new school year for East Orange STEM Academy began Thursday, Sept. 6, it was without teacher Kofi Owens.
Owens was shot and killed Friday, Aug. 3, on South 16th Street. There is still a $10,000 reward being offered to anyone with information about the incident.
“The Crime Stoppers Program is offering up to $10,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the fatal shooting of East Orange High School teacher Kofi Owens, 45, of Newark,” said Sheriff Armando B. Fontoura on Tuesday, Aug. 7. “On Friday, Aug. 3, 2018, at approximately 1 a.m., Owens was shot inside his vehicle, which was parked in front of 90 South 16th St. in East Orange. A teacher at the STEM Academy, Owens was pronounced dead at the scene at 1:18 a.m.”
But the offered reward was small consolation for STEM Academy students such as Andy Jean, 14, on the first day of school.
“No, I’m not glad to be back in school. I could have used a little more summer vacation,” said Jean on Thursday, Sept. 6. “I knew Mr. Owens. He was a good guy and a good teacher. I was sad when I heard what happened to him. The school year starting without him is bad, because he was a lot of kids’ favorite teacher and he helped a lot with the robotics program.”
Jean, who wants to be an engineer when he grows up, said he will always remember Owens. Edna James, a district crossing guard who was stationed at the corner of Prospect Terrace and Prospect Street outside Jackson Academy on Thursday, Sept. 6, also lamented Owens’ loss.
“It was bad. I can’t see why someone would want to do something like that. The teachers are there for the kids,” said James on Thursday, Sept. 6. “He would be here, if it wasn’t for some bad kids or some bad person. It just hurts me to think about it.”
Mayor Ted Green said he understands how Jean and James feel, and shares their sentiments about Owens not being present for the start of the new school year.
“We want to start the school year on a positive note,” said Green on Thursday, Sept. 6. “Our hearts and condolences go out to the Owens family. We know that Mr. Owens was a positive person and we just want to take his motto and drive it all the way through the school year and beyond it, too.”
Green said the best way for students and teachers to honor Owens’ life and legacy is to live out his ideals of hard work, dedication and educational excellence each and every day.
“From (Garfield) Jackson Academy to (Ecole) Toussaint Louverture School to (East Orange) STEM Academy, we’re progressing and working with other entities in our community for the betterment of our children and our education stakeholders and we’re going to continue to stand behind them and them,” Green said. “We feel good about everything that we’re doing with our young people. We’re just doing what we’ve got to do to make things right.”
Anyone with information about Owens’ homicide should contact the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office tips line at 877-847-7432.
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