Gloucester County, New Jersey

Altaif Hassan was raised learning how to avoid police confrontations, yet still ended up with an officer's assault rifle trained on his back in October at Rowan University. All three of them are black, and all three see police as an obstacle - or worse, a danger - in their lives.

Wife of the late Bernard Cozewith, mother of Jerry Cozewith , Robyn Dalessandro , and the late Steven Cozewith. Grandmother of Jonathan Teri, Michael Teri, Bret Cozewith and Jessica Cozewith and great-grandmother to Benjamin Cozewith.

Marcel J. Steele, 22, of Deptford Township, is accused of shooting Jodeci Robinson, 22, of Woodbury in the back during a Nov. 28 incident at Steele's house. While prosecutors have described this as a cold-blooded killing over money, Steele's attorney, James Leonard, said Robinson and a friend were actually trying to rob his client.

A Deptford Township police officer is parked outside the home on Andaloro Way where Jodeci Robinson was shot to death Nov. 28. Steele, 22, refused to give a statement to police at the scene and was initially arrested on drug charges. Those charges were upgraded Friday to include murder, attempted murder, endangering an injured victim, obstruction and various weapons offenses, including possession a weapon while committing a drug crime.

A Deptford mother and son were charged Friday in connection with a shooting this week that left a 22-year-old man dead and another man injured. Marcel Steele, 22, is accused of killing Jodeci Robinson of Woodbury and wounding Saliim Bey, 26, of Pine Hill, then trying to cover up what happened, the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office said Friday.

A New Jersey man who was set free from federal prison for bank robbery earlier this year was indicted again this week for the same crime, this time outside Philadelphia, authorities say. Michael Fanelli, of Woodbury, was indicted on one count of armed bank robbery by a federal grand jury in Philadelphia, U.S. District Attorney William McSwain announced Friday.

Only about 25 men under the age of 18 became officers during the Civil War. One of these men, 17-year-old Thomas James Howell, wanted to prove himself and experience what he thought was the glory of war.

The number of reported hate crimes increased by 75 percent from 2016 to 2017 in the Garden State, according to data released by the FBI. The highest numbers of hate crimes were tallied in Woodbury , East Brunswick , Lakewood , Evesham and Princeton .