Latest Newark Shooting Leaves Man, Woman Wounded

Shooting comes one day after three people were killed and four other wounded in separate incidents

Two more people have been wounded in Newark, the latest in a string of shootings and violent incidents that have plagued the city in recent days.

Witnesses say a man and a woman, both in their mid-20s, were shot around 11:30 a.m. Friday near Clinton Place and Aldine Street in the city's South Ward. But further details on the incident and their injuries were not immediately available

The shooting came one day after three people — including two teenagers — were killed and four others wounded in separate shootings that occurred about 90 minutes apart.

It's not yet known what sparked any of the shootings, and authorities say it's not clear if any or all of them were connected. No arrests have been made.

Newark Mayor Cory Booker planned to meet with the media later Friday to discuss the recent surge in violence. This week's shootings followed a violent weekend that saw seven carjackings and six shootings — including one that claimed the life of a 16-year-old boy, and came just days after a lieutenant in the state Attorney General's Office had his vehicle carjacked on a city street.

Many residents blame the recent violence on the city's decision to lay off 167 police officers on Nov. 30 due to budgetary reasons.

Overall, crime in Newark is up 7 percent from last year, according to statistics posted on the police department's website. There have been 84 homicides in the city this year, four more than all of 2009.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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