By: Richard L. Smith
Authorities in Newark have reported no foul play in a shooting incident that occurred inside a building housing a program associated with Newark's Summer Safety Initiative, supported by The Office of Violence Prevention and Trauma Recovery.
The shooting, which resulted in a fatality, led to the temporary closure of the Peers Understanding Strategies for Healing & Help (PUSHH) facility for several days.
Newark Public Safety Director Fritz Fragé provided details of the incident, which took place on Tuesday, July 16.
He said Newark police officers patrolling the area of 16th Avenue near South 6th Street were alerted by a man pointing towards a building where an unresponsive individual was found.
According to Director Frage, responding officers discovered the victim, who had suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound and he was pronounced deceased at 9:57 a.m.
Parents of teens participating in the program told RLS Media that they had seen the man on the premises several times and believed he was somehow connected to the lead person at PUSHH.
Director Fragé did not confirm the individual's identity, but from the statement he provided RLS Media, it did not appear any program workers were in harm's way.
The reasons behind the man's choice of location for the incident remain unclear.
Attempts to reach a spokesperson for the organization were unsuccessful, as the facility remained closed with security gates down for a couple of days.
PUSHH, a branch of Newark's Office of Violence Prevention and Trauma Recovery, aims to help at-risk youth understand the consequences of risky behaviors and their impact on overall well-being.
According to the nonprofit's LinkedIn page, they offer educational life skills, strategic community outreach, and advocacy development to empower youth to become community leaders.
Newark Police have not provided any additional information regarding the incident.
