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Lincoln Northeast student accused of murder in shooting death of 22-year-old man

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47th and Cooper shooting

Police confer at the site of shooting March 26 near the intersection of 47th Street and Cooper Avenue.

Edgar "EJ" Union and children

Edgar "EJ" Union and four of his daughters, 3-year-olds Faith, Hope and Serenity and Amyracl, 2. He also has a 6-year-old, Aaliyah.

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Riley Johnson

An arrest warrant has been issued for a student at Lincoln Northeast High School in the killing of 22-year-old Edgar Union Jr., a father of five who was gunned down in the College View neighborhood March 26.

The student had not been arrested as of midday Monday and remains at large, although Lincoln police have said they are actively pursuing him.

The Journal Star is withholding his name at the request of investigators, who have cited concerns about potential retaliation and the safety of officers pursuing him.

Prosecutors last week charged him with second-degree murder, shooting into an occupied dwelling and two counts of use of a firearm to commit a felony.

Details weren't available on what evidence police have linking him to the shooting. A judge sealed an affidavit containing some of that information at the request of investigators.

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Police Chief Jeff Bliemeister said Union died of a gunshot wound shortly after 2 p.m. that Monday on the porch of a home in the 3800 block of South 47th Street. He was among a group of about 20 people who had gathered on the residential street, just west of Union College, moments earlier, the chief said.

Many there had gang affiliations, the chief said. Police haven't said what they believe motivated the killing.

The incident came three hours after some of Union's friends were involved in a fight at Lincoln Southeast High School, Bliemeister said.

The killing prompted police to boost their presence at public high schools in the city, and safety concerns led organizers to cancel a fundraiser for Union's family earlier this month.

Union had lived in Lincoln for 15 years and graduated from Lincoln High School in 2013. He was the father of five girls, including triplets.

Late last week, police arrested 17-year-olds Americle Fuqua and another teenager, who are accused of being accessories after the shooting.

In court documents, investigators allege Fuqua lied to police about leaving the scene of the shooting alone. Surveillance footage from Northeast High shows Fuqua and the shooter being picked up from school earlier that afternoon, investigators said.

After the shooting, police believe Fuqua drove five other people, including the shooter, away from the scene, according to the affidavit.

Investigators allege the other teenager lied to police about who he was with at the shooting scene, and they believe he left the scene with the shooter, the affidavit said.

Fuqua, the other teenager and the shooter all belong to the same gang, investigators said in court documents.

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Edgar "EJ" Union Jr.

Courtesy photo

Reach the writer at 402-473-2657 or rjohnson@journalstar.com.

On Twitter @LJSRileyJohnson.

Name retracted

The Journal Star has removed the name of the second teenager mentioned in this story because his case is being handled in juvenile court and he is not accused of a violent crime.

Riley Johnson

Riley Johnson

Local government reporter

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47th and Cooper shooting

Police confer at the site of shooting March 26 near the intersection of 47th Street and Cooper Avenue.

Edgar "EJ" Union and four of his daughters, 3-year-olds Faith, Hope and Serenity and Amyracl, 2. He also has a 6-year-old, Aaliyah.

Edgar "EJ" Union Jr.