Crime scene police tape in front of blue and red police lights at night. Image by Gerd Altmann
OAN NEWSROOM
UPDATED 7:00 PM PT – Monday, July 4, 2022
Authorities arrested a teenage suspect in connection to a drive-by shooting that injured nine people in New Jersey. Newark Police announced Monday that the 17-year-old male is facing several charges after he allegedly used a stolen vehicle during the shootout last week.
When police arrived they found multiple people hurt ranging in ages from 17 to 68. Eight adults and one juvenile were sent to two local hospitals where they were treated for non-life threatening injuries.
“Our goal is to bring each suspect involved to justice,” said Newark Mayor Ras Baraka. “This was a very violent and troublesome incident that we are taking very, very, seriously.”
According to the city’s gunfire detection system ShotSpotter, the police were alerted to the shooting which occurred outside a bodega shortly after 6 p.m. on the 200 block of Clinton Place.
In an effort to curb summer violence, Baraka established the city’s Office of Violence Prevention and Trauma Recovery Safe Summer Academy in 2021. It was aimed to provide alternate paths for success to at-risk youth and adults exposed to the criminal justice system. The program will be running this summer as well.
“If you decide that you want to resort to violence or use of guns in the streets of Newark, you will be caught,” he said.
There’s no evidence at this time the incident was gang related, but approximately 60 percent of the violence in Newark stems from personal disputes.