The Essex County Prosecutor's Office is investigating a shooting incident that left a man dead near a gas station in Newark West Ward Monday night.
Police responded to reports of shots fired near the intersection of Sandford and Mountainview Avenues around 9 p.m.
Newark emergency responders arrived and found severely injured Mr. Nashid Azziz Smith, 26, suffering gunshot wounds at the gas station.
Smith was rushed to University Hospital, where medical professionals' attempts to save his life were unsuccessful.
He was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Newark Major Crimes unit searched the area for possible suspects and evidence to support a motive for the shooting, but no arrests have been reported.
The deadly shooting marked the second homicide in Newark's West Ward in under 8 hours.
The fatal encounter is also the second 'unconfirmed' murder of 2022.
At approximately 3:51 p.m. Monday, an armed male ambushed Mr. Radress S. Wilson on Stuyvesant Avenue and fired multiple times that struck him at point-blank range.
Paramedics pronounced Wilson dead at the scene.
The investigation into both shootings remains active and ongoing.
Essex County authorities have not confirmed any connections between the two murders at this time.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Essex County Prosecutor's Office tips line at 1-877-TIPS-4EC or 1-877-847-7432.
Calls will be kept confidential.