Newark – Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens, II, and Newark Public Safety Director Anthony F. Ambrose announced today that the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide/Major Crimes Task Force is investigating the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Nakiyyah Miller of Newark.
Police say two males were also shot but they survived. They are a16-year-old from Newark and a 35-year-old also from Newark.
According to police, at approximately 3 a.m. today Newark Police officers responded to a report of a shooting in the 100 block of Brunswick Street, near the corner of Astor and Brunswick. When they arrived at the scene they discovered Miller.
She was transported to University Hospital where she was pronounced dead at 3:56 am.
According to Police Director Anthony Ambrose, he placed the summer’s crime-fighting efforts into perspective by stating there were no shooting homicides in the previous 50 days before last week.
’The only homicide we had in all of July was domestic stabbing. I’ve been a Newark officer, chief, public safety director and county chief detective for 35 years and I can say confidently this is the first July without a gun homicide in all those years’ Director Ambrose said.
’We have had 32 homicides this year, down from 43 at this time last year (26%)’.
The Newark Police Division with our federal, state and county partner agencies have taken more than 300 guns off the street this year. ’We continually battle the traffic of illegal guns into our streets from other states’ Director, Ambrose said.
’We are seeing increased trust in the community and much of our crime suppression success is due to members of the public who call in suspicious activity because they want to aid us in keeping them, and the city safe’.
Director Ambrose said ”these are still human lives and we understand the loss to their families. We have continued crime suppression operations in these areas to deter these violent acts”.
As for last night shootings, no arrests have been made.
The investigation is active and ongoing.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide/Major Crimes Task Force tips line at 1-877-TIPS-4EC or 1-877-847-7432.