6-year-old girl, two adults shot in Newark, NJ

A day of violence in Newark was capped by the shooting of a 6-year-old girl and two adults Tuesday evening.

Police officers were already gathered outside University Hospital in support of two officers shot earlier in the day. They rushed to help a screaming woman who exited a police vehicle holding the child, according to News 12 New Jersey.

Shots fired on South Orange Avenue were detected by the city's ShotSpotter device around 7 p.m., according to a report by RLS Metro Breaking News.

Newark Public Safety Director Fritz Frage said at a media briefing that the child suffered a collapsed lung in the shooting.

"The 6-year-old was not killed. She's in the hospital recovering," Frage said. "She's going to make it."

Frage said two other adults were shot but did not disclose the circumstances, the location of the shooting or the condition of the adults. He said the investigation into the shooting is ongoing.

In a separate incident earlier Tuesday, two Newark police officers were shot at close range Tuesday afternoon by 30-year-old Kendall Howard, of East Orange at Van Velsor Place and Chancellor Avenue. Howard retreated into an apartment building, prompting a search.

One officer was shot in the leg, the other was shot in the neck and shoulder area requiring surgery.

Dan Alexander is a reporter for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at dan.alexander@townsquaremedia.com

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