By: Richard L. Smith
Essex County authorities continue to search for the person responsible for a deadly shooting that claimed the life of a 21-year-old Irvington man inside a residence on South 16th Street in Newark earlier this week.
The shooting occurred at 703 South 16th Street, within an area that has undergone significant residential redevelopment connected to Rise Living, the Newark housing initiative backed in part by hometown entertainment icon Queen Latifah.
Essex County Prosecutor Authorities confirmed that Mr. Royce Asaad Lamont Westry, 21, of Irvington, was shot multiple times at approximately 5:36 p.m. Monday, August 17.
According to information gathered by RLS Media at the scene, a gunman reportedly bursted into the residence and fired multiple rounds at Westry before fleeing.
Emergency medical crews rushed Westry to University Hospital, where authorities said he was pronounced dead at approximately 6:19 p.m.
Members of Newark’s Shooting Response Team and the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office were notified, and the circumstances surrounding the shooting remain under active investigation.
As of this Friday morning, authorities have not announced an arrest or publicly identified a suspect.
The location of the shooting is notable because South 16th Street is among several streets included in the footprint of Rise Living, a residential redevelopment project associated with Newark native Queen Latifah, whose birth name is Dana Owens.
Plans for the development date back several years, with Queen Latifah’s BlueSugar Corporation working with development partners on efforts to bring new housing to the neighborhood.
In April 2022, Queen Latifah joined Newark officials for a groundbreaking celebration marking a major phase of the Rise Living project.
The development was announced as a collaboration between BlueSugar Corporation, Life Assets Development and GonSosa, with plans centered around 650 Springfield Avenue and properties along South 16th Street, South 17th Street and 19th Avenue.
At the time, the project called for 76 residential units, including 16 affordable units, along with space designated for nonprofit organizations.
Queen Latifah has publicly spoken about her personal connection to the neighborhood and her desire to invest in housing in the city where she was born.
Despite the redevelopment, residents who spoke with RLS Media following Monday’s shooting said the immediate neighborhood is generally quiet.
However, some residents expressed concerns about what they described as recurring quality-of-life and public-safety problems, including loitering and suspected drug activity that they believe has not been adequately addressed.
Monday’s homicide has now brought renewed attention to the neighborhood as investigators work to determine who forced entry into the South 16th Street residence, opened fire on Westry and escaped.
The Essex County Prosecutor’s Office continues to investigate the killing. Authorities have not publicly disclosed a possible motive or what, if any, relationship existed between the gunman and Westry.
The investigation remains active and ongoing.