The night a fried chicken dispute ended in shooting

Tuesday, November 20, 2007
By MICHAELANGELO CONTE
Jersey Journal

A dispute over a piece of fried chicken led to a Jersey City man being gunned down during a party in his Bergen-Lafayette apartment in the early morning hours Saturday, said a witness who came forward yesterday.

"Antwon came in with a box of chicken and the guy took a piece," said the witness about Antwon Parker, 22, who is charged with killing Christopher Felder at Felder's home on Forrest Street around 1 a.m. "Antwon was screaming and yelling. I think he was drunk."

The witness, who did not want to be identified, said the the unidentified man and Parker argued until Parker took out a handgun and waved it around. Felder told them to take their beef outside because his children were in the apartment. As Felder walked both of the men out, Parker began mouthing off, the witness said.

"Get out of my face. I don't like you anyway," said Parker, according to the witness. Felder replied, "The only reason you're talking like that is you have a gun," she said, adding that "(Parker) shot him and he fell back into the apartment."

She said Parker ran away and Felder, who was lying on the living room floor, said "Call the ambulance. Hold my hand."

She said emergency medical technicians told her Felder was conscious during the ride to the Jersey City Medical Center just before 1:30 a.m. He was pronounced dead at 5:36 a.m., Hudson County First Assistant Prosecutor Guy Gregory said.

Asked about the witness' description of the shooting, Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio said yesterday "under that scenario, it would be a senseless act of gratuitous violence."

An arrest warrant has been issued for Parker, who is known to have residences on Monticello and Orient avenues, DeFazio said.

The witness said Felder was born in Jersey City and worked as an electrician for a local company.

Parker was in prison from Sept. 30, 2004 to Jan. 27, 2005 and May 6, 2005 to May 8, 2006 for dealing drugs within 1,000 feet of a school and drug possession in an unrelated incident, state corrections officials said.

Anyone with information contact the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office Homicide Squad, at (201) 915-1345.