An imam critically injured in a shooting outside of a Newark mosque early Wednesday morning has died, New Jersey officials said at a late-afternoon press conference.
Imam Hassan Sharif, one of the leaders of the Masjid Muhammad mosque, was shot just ahead of the Fajr prayer, the first of five daily prayers in Islam, according to Muslim leaders.
Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore Stephens said Sharif was shot more than once. No arrest has been made.
Dina Sayedahmed, a spokesperson for the Council on American-Islamic Relations' New Jersey chapter, called Sharif “a beacon of leadership in his community."
Newark Public Safety Director Fritz Fragé said that at about 6:16 a.m., police responded to a call of a male shot outside Masjid Muhammad mosque at 197 Camden St.
Sharif was taken to Newark’s University Hospital in critical condition and succumbed to his injuries there Wednesday afternoon.
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka said authorities would search for Sharif’s killer until they are found.
“We don’t yet know all the details, but here is what we do know: Imam Hassan Sharif stood with the people of this city, and we will stand with him and his family,” Baraka said.
New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin said in a statement authorities currently do not have any information suggesting the shooting was motivated by bias.
“At a time when bias incidents against members of the Muslim community are on the rise, we know that this act of gun violence will heighten fears and concerns in our state,” Platkin said.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said in a statement, "My prayers are with Imam Hassan Sharif."
"At a time when the Muslim community is concerned by an increase of bias incidents and crimes, I want to assure the Muslim community and people of all faiths that we will do everything in our power to keep all residents safe, especially in or near our houses of worship," Murphy added.
Stephens said investigators are looking into what video is available in the area.
“Whatever is there, we are trying to utilize,” he said.
Asked during the press conference about reports that Sharif had been attacked before, Stephens said an earlier incident is part of law enforcement’s investigation.
In August, Sharif posted on his Facebook page that as he was getting out of his vehicle outside the mosque somebody came up behind him and “put a gun to [his] head.”
Sharif said in the post that he fought the person off and managed to remove the gun from the man’s hand. He wrote that he tried to fire the weapon but the “gun wouldn’t fire though as he fled.”
Sayedahmed called on mosques to be vigilant.
"As always, and irrespective of this specific incident, we advise all mosques to keep their doors open but remain cautious, especially given the recent spike in anti-Muslim bigotry," she said.
Imam Mustafa El-Amin from Mosque Ibrahim in Newark said, “We are keeping [Sharif] in our prayers … and waiting to see where the investigation leads.”
Essex County Sheriff Armando Fontoura said the Essex County Crime Stoppers program will offer a $25,000 reward to anyone who steps forward with information.
This story has been updated with new information.
