Shooting Near Church May Have been Gang-Related

A 17-year-old city youth is facing attempted murder charges after he allegedly shot at two people near a landmark Newark church Thursday afternoon, Essex County Sheriff Armando Fontoura said.

Shortly after 2 pm the teen, whose name was not released, fired two shots at an 18-year-old man and a 25-year-old woman as he rode his bike on Victoria Avenue near the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Fontoura said.

The two people were unhurt.

Sheriff’s officers in the agency’s patrol division headquarters across the street from the church saw the shooting and ran after the youth, who stashed his gun into an air conditioning vent at 66 Summer Ave. during the chase. Sheriff’s officers arrested the youth soon after and also found a .38-caliber Colt revolver in the vent.

The teen, who Fontoura said had seven bags of crack cocaine in his pocket, was charged with drugs and weapons offenses along with attempted murder. He was scheduled to be jailed at the Essex County Youth Detention Center.

Interviews with the suspect and the two people who were shot at indicate the incident may have been gang-related, Fontoura also said.