Edward Turner, 28, is facing murder and related charges in the fatal shooting of Papa Khaly Ndiaye, 30, of Middlesex Borough
Edward Turner NEWARK -- Jury selection has begun in the murder trial of a Newark man accused of killing an IHOP restaurant manager during a 2013 dispute between two groups at the city eatery.
The attorneys began selecting jurors on Thursday for the trial of Edward Turner, 28, who is charged with fatally shooting Papa Khaly Ndiaye, 30, of Middlesex Borough, on March 23, 2013 at the Bergen Street restaurant. Two other people were wounded in the shooting.
Turner is facing murder, attempted murder, witness tampering and weapons offenses. He remains in custody at the Essex County Correctional Facility in lieu of $1 million bail.
The trial will be held before Superior Court Judge Peter Ryan. Essex County Assistant Prosecutor Eric Plant is representing the state and Richie Roberts is representing Turner.
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The early-morning shooting stemmed from a dispute between two groups of customers at the restaurant.
One group was a mix of 13 men and women, and the other group was an all-female party of six. The customers included two women, one in each group, who were former lover in the throes of a bitter breakup, authorities said.
Law enforcement sources have said a man in the larger group approached the all-female group and started hitting on them.
After the women indicated they wanted to be left alone, the man became upset and the situation ultimately turned physical with members of both groups shoving each other, according to police accounts.
Ndiaye - a Senegalese immigrant from a prominent family in that West African country - stepped in to try to help customers flee the store.
But a man dressed in a hoodie then entered the restaurant, and challenged the man who had approached the women to step outside. As the man went outside, shots rang out and Ndiaye was caught in the gunfire with a bullet to the head. He was pronounced dead several hours later at University Hospital.
Soon after the incident, authorities offered a reward of up to $10,000 for help in identifying a man caught on surveillance cameras fleeing the restaurant.
Turner was arrested about a year later.
Bill Wichert may be reached at bwichert@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BillWichertNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
