Newark NJ police are investigating the fatal shooting of a woman on a city street.
According to the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, a female victim was shot and killed while walking on South 11th Street in Newark, New Jersey. The incident occurred at night, sometime around 11 p.m.
Newark police later identified the shooting victim as a 19-year-old woman. According to officials, the victim lived in Newark and attended Weequahic High School. The victim was a senior at the high school.
Sometime after the shooting, Newark police officers were called to the scene. Newark police canvassed the area in search of the shooter; onlookers saw police officers carrying out the investigation on nearby blocks.
Police spoke with area residents, including one man who lives four blocks away from the location of the shooting. He said that he heard a number of gunshots fired very quickly, one after the other.
At this time, investigators have yet to identify a suspect or a motive for the shooting. Members of the media spoke with the victim’s family members, who said that they believe the victim was targeted in the fatal shooting.
If Newark police are eventually able to identify and apprehend a suspect in the shooting, it is likely that significant criminal charges would follow. As set forth by N.J.S.A. 2C:11-3, murder is a first degree criminal offense. A conviction on first degree murder charges could result in life imprisonment, with a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 years in NJ State Prison.
This was the 37th homicide in Newark so far this year. Remarkably, the rest of Essex County has seen just 11 homicides in 2015.
For further information about this case, view NJ.com article entitled “Authorities Investigating Fatal Newark Shooting.”
