Fatal Gunfire Erupts Outside Newark Police Headquarters

This time, this violence was on their doorstep.

Newark’s latest instance of fatal gunfire took place only a few hundred feet from police headquarters when a man was gunned down on Saturday night in the area of Bergen Street and Clinton Avenue, authorities reported.

According to the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, the shooting took place around 11:50 p.m. On arrival at the scene, officers found a man – later identified as Najee Daniels, 22, of Newark - suffering from gunshot wounds, authorities said.

Emergency responders transported Daniels to University Hospital in Newark, where he was pronounced dead at 1:29 a.m. on Sunday.

There were more than 20 shell casings recovered at the scene of the shooting, possibly indicating a barrage of heavy gunfire, RLS Media reported.

The Essex County Prosecutor’s Office is conducting an investigation into the shooting. Anyone with information can contact Task Force detectives at 877-847-7432 or 973-621-4586.

When the $68 million Newark Police Department building on Clinton Avenue was unveiled in 2011, city officials touted it as a potential deterrent to crime in the area.

“Hopefully, now that it’s built … it’ll bring some more safety, or at least the illusion of safety, to this area to give businesses the confidence to invest in this community,” Mayor Ras Baraka said at the time.

• See related article: Newark Police Department Opens New Headquarters

File photo: Newark Police Headquarters on Clinton Avenue