Newark Woman Fatally Shot While Celebrating Birthday: Reports

NEWARK, NJ — Authorities have identified a 63-year-old woman who was reportedly shot and killed while celebrating her birthday in Newark last week.

Newark police officers responded to the 200-block of Lehigh Avenue around 8 p.m. on Thursday after getting reports about a shooting, according to a joint statement from the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office and the Newark Department of Public Safety.

Officers found the victim, Debra Derrick of Newark, suffering from gunshot wounds. Emergency responders rushed her to University Hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 8:27 p.m., authorities said.

Family members told ABC7 New York that at the time of the shooting, Derrick was celebrating her and her deceased twin’s birthdays. She was about to release balloons in her sister’s honor when gunshots rang out, they said.

Derrick was an employee at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and Children's Hospital of New Jersey, RLS Media reported.

The Essex County Prosecutor’s Homicide Task Force, which includes detectives from the Newark Police Department, are investigating the shooting. Anyone with information can contact the task force at (877) 847-7432.

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