Authorities in Newark are investigating a shooting that left one person dead and three others wounded during an annual Mother's Day motorcycle blessing event.
Gunfire erupted Sunday evening in the city's South Ward near 19th Avenue and South 16th Street during the Blessing of the Bikes, an event sponsored by the Newark Knights motorcycle club to mark the beginning of the riding season. Police taped off the entire area late Sunday night.
Homicide detectives are on the scene and the three shooting victims have been taken to area hospitals for treatment. Investigators say the victims are between 15 and 29 years old.
Thousands of people came with their motorcycles on Mother's Day, and police started to get calls of multiple shots near the intersection.
A witness said there were people doing tricks on their bikes, and she saw two people pull out guns and start shooting. At least a dozen shots were fired, according to witnesses.
A woman who helped with CPR says the victim is a teenager, but police have not confirmed that yet.
"I walked up to the scene, and there was a guy that was laying on the ground. Basically you heard shots that rang out, and it was 8 to 12 shots.
He fell on the ground - he got shot twice in the top of his head and once in the left eye," says Kenoa Campbell.
Campbell said she watched in horror as a 15-year-old boy was gunned down right in front of her eyes.
She said the boy was shot multiple times in the head and she performed CPR on him, trying desperately to save his life.
“I have children of my own, and if that was my baby, I would want someone to help him along,” she said. “Two years ago, my brother was murdered on the streets of Newark. And I would hope that somebody would’ve helped my brother.”
The victim was pronounced dead at University Hospital, the prosecutor’s office said.
Three other victims were being treated for apparent non-life threatening injuries, Chief Assistant Prosecutor Thomas Fennelly said.
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka came down hard on the Blessing of the Bikes, saying had he known the event was approved by the city, he would have vetoed it, saying Newark does not have enough officers to maintain an event of this magnitude.
"They've had this event in the past, and it has not had an incident, but it's been unruly since then," Mayor Baraka said, "we know that we are building up more police officers. We hired another 150 this year."
