The Essex County Prosecutor's Office is leading the investigation into a shooting that killed a male in a section of Newark's West Ward Wednesday night.
According to a brief statement released by authorities, police responded to reports of shots fired in the vicinity of South 20th Street and Springfield Avenue at approximately 7:45 p.m.
When officers arrived, they found a severely injured unidentified male suffering bullet wounds at that location.
Police say the victim was rushed to University Hospital for treatment and later pronounced dead by medical professionals.
Offcials say the Essex County Prosecutor's Homicide Task Force is investigating the shooting homicide at that location. The incident is 'unofficially' the first fatal shooting of 2020 in Newark.
The investigation remains active and ongoing and no further information is available at this time.