Authorities are investigating the fatal shooting of an Islam imam outside of a mosque in Newark, New Jersey, on Wednesday morning.
Local officials said that the killing of the individual, identified as Hassan Sharif, was not motivated by bias or domestic terrorism. Throughout the morning, devout worshippers filed into Masjid Muhammad and prayed for the recovery of Sharif. However, his injuries were too severe and he was later pronounced dead.
Islam Prayer Leader Fatally Shot
In a statement, Aneesah Abdullah said that Sharif was a good person and that he could not think of anything wrong he had done to anyone else. Newark police noted that the victim was shot outside his own Mosque, which was located on South Orange Avenue and Camden Street, at around 6:15 a.m.
Masjid leadership said that the gunman allegedly approached just after pre-dawn prayer. Law enforcement personnel added that the imam was hit more than once and was rushed to University Hospital where he was later pronounced dead that afternoon, as per CBS News.
During a news conference, state Attorney General Matt Platkin said that investigators are still trying to determine the motive behind the fatal shooting. He said that they are not yet at liberty to discuss the details or progress of the investigative efforts.
Platkin added that the evidence they have collected so far does not indicate that the crime was committed due to bias or by domestic terrorism. The attorney general said that he was aware that many people in New Jersey are concerned about a heightened sense of fear, or anxiety, at the news of the killing.
The official noted that if there is any evidence that the crime was related to a hate crime, Islamophobia, or anything similar, it would be completely reprehensible and unacceptable in the state of New Jersey.
Newark resident Paulette Williams also talked about the incident, saying that the crime in the area "has to stop." She noted that it had become ridiculous and that she could not take it anymore, suggesting that she plans on moving to a different state, according to ABC7NY.
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Determining the Motive
Investigators are now working to review security and city-owned street camera footage to determine whether or not they could spot an assailant. Officials were also able to retrieve bullet casings which are being analyzed.
After news of Sharif's shooting was spread, some of those whose lives he touched raced to his mosque to pray for him. In a statement, a spokesperson for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said that transportation security officers (TSOs) serve diverse populations of travelers to secure the nation's transportation systems.
The remarks came as Sharif has been working as a TSO at Newark Liberty International Airport since 2006. The agency added that they were deeply saddened to learn of the imam's passing and were sending their condolences to the victim's family, friends, and co-workers.
The New Jersey chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NJ), which is the largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States also issued a statement following the incident. It said that they currently did not have information on the motive of the criminal, said Fox News.
