Weequahic High Student Shot and Killed Wednesday

Story updated 10 pm May 15

An 18-year-old Weequahic High School student was shot and killed Wednesday afternoon minutes after leaving school grounds, officials said.

Speaking at a press conference regarding a school lockdown the same day, Mayor Cory Booker said the youth signed himself out of school around 1:52 pm.

The victim was later identified as Paul Hudson of Newark, said Anthony Ambrose, the chief of detectives of the Essex County Prosecutor's Office.

Although older students are free to sign themselves out at their own discretion, Booker said Weequahic officials took the extra step of making the student contact a grandparent.

The youth was then shot multiples times by someone in a vehicle who drove by the student as he walked on Aldine Street not far from the school. Witnesses told Nj.com the shooter briefly left the vehicle and stood over the victim before driving away from the scene.

He was pronounced dead at University Hospital at 2:17 pm, Ambrose said.

Booker said police “have a lot of good data on this incident,” including a possible motive, but declined to share the infornation with reporters Wednesday.

Booker did say, however, that the shooting was not random.

“We have every indication this individual was targeted by the shooter,” Booker said.