Looking over old cases, the then-new prosecutor wondered what the letters “NIM” meant.
Atlantic County Prosecutor Damon Tyner said he asked everyone in his office. No one seemed to know, he said as he spoke to residents last week in Atlantic City.
All he noticed was that they were homicide victims of color, mostly from Atlantic City or Pleasantville.
He got his answer from a retired investigator who was helping work on a decades-old open case that always haunted him.
“Non-important murder,” Tyner was told.
“It was difficult to hear,” the prosecutor later told BreakingAC. “No one could explain how it began.”
While the practice seems long past, Tyner is determined to make sure the public perception that any homicide is not important ends as well.
"It wasn't important to the people that were part of the system," he told the group. "So, I sought out to change that. Every murder is important."
“It explains why we don’t get a lot of voluntary witnesses giving information to assist in solving violent crimes,” he said. “Hopefully change will continue to grow trust within the community that we’re determined to bring closure to all families, no matter what their zip code.”
Tyner spoke last Monday as residents gathered at Atlantic City’s Dolphin Field to rally action against the violence.
The event was the first in what community organizers say will be a weekly gathering focusing on different towns.
This Monday night is set for 6 p.m. at Pleasantville’s Lighthouse Community Church at 1311 S. Main St.
Taking action is important, Tyner said as he spoke at last week’s Atlantic City gathering.
Six people have been fatally shot this year. Five of them 21 or younger.
The youngest, just 16 years old, was allegedly shot by a 15-year-old last month.
At least one, Jordan Reaves, was likely retribution for a shooting that wounded two people three days earlier, Tyner said in a statement released shortly after the 21-year-old man was killed in the 300 block of North Pennsylvania Avenue.
“The stark reality is that, in most of our recent homicide cases, local law enforcement is finding itself in a race against retribution by the streets,” he said at that time.
While some of Reaves’ loved ones were angered by the announcement, Tyner said releasing the information was not a difficult decision.
“Too many times we have seen a homicide where the likely suspect has been killed,” he said.
“It’s literally retaliation, but we can’t officially close the case.”
It leaves a family with questions that often can’t get answered.
“They just want to know, How did their child die? Were they in pain? Were they alone?” he said. “These are simple questions, and every family deserves answers.”
Editor's note: This story originally said the initials were NIH. It was NIM for non-important murder.
