Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn A. Murray and Newark Police Director Eugene Venable have announced that a man was fatally shot in Newark, NJ last evening and that authorities have charged a suspect with murder.
Authorities said, at approximately 4:30 p.m., the Newark Fire Department responded to an apartment in the 100 block of Huntington Terrace on a report of a smoke condition. Responding firefighters entered the apartment and discovered an unresponsive male on the floor. Firefighters immediately attempted to revive the individual and discovered that he was suffering from an apparent gunshot wound.
The male was transported to University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at approximately 5:30 p.m. Firefighters determined that the smoke condition was the result of unattended cooking in the apartment.
The victim has been identified as David A. Johnson, age 41, of Newark. An investigation by detectives from the Essex County Prosecutor's Major Crimes Task Force and the Newark Police Department has led to the arrest of Roderick Whipple, age 50, of Newark, according to Chief Assistant Prosecutor Thomas S. Fennelly of the Prosecutor's Major Crimes Unit. This matter remains under investigation and although a motive cannot be discussed at this time, it appears that victim and the suspect knew each other, according to Fennelly.