The Essex County Prosecutor’s Office has taken over the investigation into a shooting that left teenaged legal adult dead on a street in East Orange on New Years morning.
In the first homicide reported in Essex County and New Jersey, police responded to multiple rounds of gunfire erupted in the vicinity of 178 North 17th Street at around 12:45 a.m.
When officers arrived at the scene, officials for the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office said they found an unconscious and unresponsive 18-year-old male suffering gunshot wounds.
Authorities said a search of the area had officers also locate a second victim suffering a non-life threatening gunshot wound. This victim was transported to the hospital for treatment according to The Essex County Prosecutor’s Office.
Police set up a crime scene where they marked off over a dozen pieces of evidence including shell casings.
The identity of the victim has not been released until his next of kin has been notified.
The motive for the shooting remains under investigation.