An imam is in critical condition after being shot outside his mosque in Newark early Wednesday morning, city officials said.
Officers responded to a call of a shooting at 6:15 a.m. at South Orange Avenue and Camden Street near Masjid Muhammad-Newark.
A city spokesperson confirmed the shooting victim is an imam at Masjid Muhammad-Newark. A person who opened the door at the mosque later Wednesday morning told NBC New York the victim is Imam Hassan Sharif.
The victim was transported to University Hospital in critical condition, the city’s public safety director said. University Hospital is located within blocks of the shooting scene.
The motive for the shooting is not immediately clear.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations’ New Jersey chapter said it is also working to get more information on the shooting.
“We are deeply concerned about this incident and pray for the speedy recovery of the imam. Anyone with information about the shooting should immediately contact local police,” Dina Sayedahmed, communications manager at CAIR-NJ, said in a written statement.
The FBI’s Newark office told NBC New York they are not involved in the investigation at this time.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said details remain limited.
“I’m told as I walked in here thank God he is alive, beyond that I don’t have any more details,” Murphy said after an event on the state’s minimum wage. Murphy said his office and the state police are “deeply involved” in the shooting investigation.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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