Police in East Orange are investigating a shots fired incident hat had a franchised business temporarily close on Wednesday evening.
According to preliminary reports, the rush hour gun battle occurred in the vicinity of busy Central Avenue and Halsted Street at around 5 p.m. where police responded to 911 calls reporting shots fired near the Auto Zone.
Units arrived at the scene and taped off a portion of Central Avenue near the business where they searched for and found multiple shell casings near Halsted Street according to reports.
The sound of gunfire had several pedestrians and customers run for cover into stores along Central Avenue, but officials say no injuries were reported.
Business owners and customers in the area said they believe the shooting is due to unanswered open-air drug dealing that occurs on Halsted and up and down Central Avenue daily.
Customers attempting to make purchases at the Auto Zone were told to wait until the investigation was completed before they could enter the business.
Police have not released the official motive for the shooting.