Jeanice Howe
New Jersey police are urgently searching for a suspect after two people – including a child – were killed in a shooting that left three others injured.
A 21-year-old woman and a 10-year-old boy were fatally shot in Newark around 7 pm on Saturday, according to the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office.
An 11-year-old boy and two men, aged 19 and 60, were injured amid the chaos but are in stable condition.
Investigators have offered a $10,000 reward to community members for information leading to the arrest of the culprit, according to NJ.com .
Police roped off the dreadful scene after the devastation unfolded in the primarily residential area of the city.
The gun violence occurred in the vicinity of Chancellor Avenue and Leslie Street, near a liquor store, a nail salon, a laundromat and a storefront mosque.
There were at least 17 evidence markers spotted as investigators probed the area, ABC 7 reported.
In the aftermath, witnesses recalled the horrors that transpired just moments before.
‘It was a lot of screaming,’ one woman told NJ.com. When asked about how many bullets rang, she said: ‘It was a lot. More than six.’
Bystanders dove for cover and ran in fear for their lives as the active shooter attacked.
Governor Phil Murphy addressed the harrowing incident on social media last night: ‘Please pray for the victims and their families.’
‘We will not rest until there is justice for the parents and families left behind in unspeakable pain and grief,’ Newark Mayor Raw Baraka wrote in a statement.
‘Newark will work tirelessly with the prosecutor’s office, state law enforcement and federal agencies to ensure justice is served. We urge the killer to turn himself in, as there is no safe place to hide.’
Investigators have not yet unveiled what led up to the fatal event.
There have been 33 reports of shooting incidents in the area, which falls under the jurisdiction of Precinct 5, this year, according to Newark Police data. The number of shootings has decreased each year since 2022.
Baraka noted that Saturday was ‘a dark and devastating day’ not only due to the shooting, but because of a toddler plunging to his death from an apartment window that morning.
The small child fell from a high-rise apartment building’s 20th floor at around 7 am. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Daily Mail has reached out to the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office for comment.
Source: Dailymail.co.uk | Read the Full Story…
