Shooting Outside Rutgers-Newark: 1 Killed, 1 Wounded, 2 On the Run
By Prasanna Tati
Late Sunday night around 10pm, in an apartment located at the corner of Halsey Street and Central Avenue, a shootout occurred where one Rutgers student, Shani Patel, was killed and his 23 year old roommate, a recent graduate, was wounded. There were two other subjects who fled the scene, and are still being searched for. This event marks the 25th homicide of the year so far for Newark.
The Rutgers University police issued a statement that the 21 year old junior economics major Shani Patel of Toms River, New Jersey was shot in an apartment near the corner of Central Avenue and Halsey Street. Patel was pronounced dead on the scene. The injured roommate is still in critical condition and was last known to be in surgery on April 11 at University Hospital.
In an earlier statement, a few hours after the shooting, Rutgers police mentioned that two subjects, one shirtless, fled the scene. So far no arrests have been made. According to authorities, this was not a random attack and so there are no additional safety threats to the school community.
Sources close to the investigation mentioned that a significant amount of drugs and money were found at the scene and have led to the hypothesis that the attack may have been a deliberate and planned, drug-related robbery. In addition, according to records, Patel was indicted last year on a charge of third-degree possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and fourth-degree possession of marijuana.
Rutgers-Newark chancellor, Nancy Cantor, released a statement early on Monday to deliver the “sad news” and that “it is a shock to lose a member of our community under any circumstances”. She offered information on counseling services available to students, faculty, and staff who are “dealing with such a loss”. Dr. Cantor offered “deepest condolences” on behalf of the Rutgers-Newark community and ended her statement “in profound sorrow”.
The Essex County Sheriff Crimestoppers Program is offering a reward of up to $10, 000 for any information leading to an arrest and conviction. Anyone with information is asked to call 1-877-847-7432.