Police in Newark, New Jersey, are actively seeking a gunman responsible for the fatal shooting of an imam outside his mosque on Wednesday. The incident occurred at approximately 6:15 a.m. at the intersection of South Orange Avenue and Camden Street, as reported by Newark Public Safety Director Fritz Fragé to NBC New York.
The victim, identified as Hassan Sharif, an imam at Masjid Muhammad-Newark, was initially in critical condition and hospitalized after being shot once in the abdomen and the right arm. He succumbed to his injuries around 2:20 p.m., according to reports.
Despite the heightened tensions in the U.S. related to the Israel-Hamas war, the shooting does not appear to be motivated by bias, said Fragé. The assailant, dressed in all black, fled the scene on foot, and as of Wednesday afternoon, no further details about the suspect were available.
