A man died and a pregnant woman was injured following a shooting in Newark, police said. The man is the sixth person to be fatally shot in the city in just over 72 hours.
The 26-year-old man and 23-year-old woman, who's nine months pregnant, were on the porch of 196 Seymour Ave. when they were shot just after midnight on Tuesday. A neighbor said he heard nine or 10 gunshots go off around that time.
The man, identified as Sirree Samod Scales of Raleigh, North Carolina, walked into the house, collapsed and died, the neighbor said. He was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics.
The woman suffered a non-life-threatening injury, possibly to her foot, and was taken to a hospital.
The shooter was still on the loose Tuesday morning. No motive for the shooting has been determined and there was no word of a suspect in the case.
Newark police and the Essex County Prosecutor's Officer were at the scene investigating Tuesday morning. They left just before 5 a.m.
On Saturday, Mayor Ras Baraka had asked the citizens of Newark to observe 24 hours of nonviolence, but violence flared nevertheless.
Six people were shot and killed in Newark in a little over 72 hours — a time spanning Friday night to early Tuesday morning. In addition to the 25-year-old man shot Tuesday, three people were killed Friday night, one person Saturday night and one person Sunday night.
"It's sad when you can say this has become a part of just everyday living," a neighbor said. "People just getting shot or killed."
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Newark Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose said the crimes appeared to be unrelated.
"The majority of these are isolated. They're disputes, domestic and drug-related," he said. "There is concern from the public, I understand, but there's no madman running around doing it."
Murders are slightly up in Newark, with 63 so far this year compared to 59 at the same time last year. But police say overall crime is down 19 percent and shootings are down 20 percent.
But for Salam Ford, who lives near one of the murder scenes, statistics don't matter much.
"We plan on moving because of the crime," Ford said.
Police credit an increase in officers in the reduction of crime in Newark. Residents want to see even more.
"Back in the day, used to be cops doing shifts, walking the beat, and that helps us protect the neighborhood. But right now we're helpless," said Junie Tucker.
