Easton slayings linked to N.J. gangs

The fatal shootings of three people in Easton last week may be linked to gang activity in New Jersey, officials said.

One of the victims, Alphe Rene, was seen Nov. 27 at a Jersey City park with about a dozen alleged members of the Bloods gang, according to Jersey City police.

Rene, 21, was killed two days later in a shooting in an Easton apartment. Also killed were her cousins Aleah Hamlin, 19, and Chanel Armour, 23.

Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli has called it a "gangland hit" because it appeared that the victims and assailants knew each other. Morganelli said the investigation may have connections to North Jersey.

Less than an hour after Rene visited the Jersey City park, 21-year-old James Singleton of Newark, N.J., was gunned down there, according to the Hudson County prosecutor's office and Jersey City police.

The prosecutor's office said Singleton, an alleged member of a Bloods sect, was killed in retaliation for fatally shooting a man and injuring another earlier that day in nearby West Orange, N.J.

Relatives of Hamlin's and Armour's have said neither woman belonged to a gang or associated with gang members.