NEWARK -- Public Safety Director Anthony F. Ambrose announced the arrest of a 16-year-old juvenile in the shooting incident in which a 13-year-old boy and 18-year-old man were injured outside of West Side High School last Friday night, Aug. 9.
Director Ambrose said the arrested juvenile is one of two suspects in the shooting. The other, a 15-year-old, is in custody for a separate shooting on Aug. 5.
“We are seeing younger assailants and younger victims in these shootings,” said Ambrose. “We need to find solutions to our problems with these dangerous, repeat offender juveniles.
They are a very small minority of the young people in Newark, but they are accounting for significant percentages of certain crimes in the city because they are continually released from custody after we arrest them.”
The 16-year-old was arrested today charged with several weapons charges, the most serious being two counts of aggravated assault.
“This was very good detective work by our people,” Ambrose said.