Union County authorities are attempting to determine if several males -who led police on a multi-city pursuit after committing several overnight felonies- shot a man dead on a street in Elizabeth late Sunday night.
According to preliminary reports, the evening began with police from the Essex County Sheriff's Office and Newark Police chasing a vehicle occupied by several suspects. Police say the males led them on a pursuit after a violent gunpoint robbery that happened at a gas station in East Orange on Central Avenue just before 9:15 p.m.
Police attempted to box the vehicle in when the driver of a black vehicle -believed to be a Land/Range Rover- struck a police cruiser during the chase that touched off in Newark's West and South Wards, Irvington, East Orange, and Elizabeth.
Just before 9:45 p.m., police broke off the pursuit after the driver recklessly drove into Essex and Union County neighborhoods in rainy weather with slick conditions. The vehicle was last observed heading on I-78 from Irvine Turner Boulevard with a reported NJ license plate number "T87-HDB".
Police say, at approximately 10 p.m., gunfire rang out near a gas station in the vicinity of Orchard Street and Morris Avenue, sending multiple police officers to the scene to investigate.
When units arrived, they found a severely injured male -around the age of 20- lying on the ground suffering bullet wounds.
The unidentified male was pronounced dead at the scene, according to authorities. Police have not confirmed if the victim was working at the gas station during the shooting.
Union County offcials believe that a black Land/Range Rover pulled up in the area and began shooting in the direction of the victim.
The investigation remains active, ongoing, and the suspects remain at-large.