Shamar Cohen, 32, a Black African American man from Newark, New Jersey, was remembered by those close to him as respectful, friendly, and outgoing, someone who had attended University High School, gone on to study at Cheyney University, and worked in accounting while building a life rooted in his community.
On the night of June 7, 2018, that life was violently interrupted on the 300 block of 7th Avenue in Newark.
Just before 11 p.m., witnesses reported an injured person lying in the street, prompting police and emergency responders to rush to the scene. Officers found Cohen suffering from a gunshot wound to the head, gravely wounded where he had fallen. He was rushed to University Hospital with life-threatening injuries, and doctors fought to save him, but he succumbed to those injuries in the hospital the following day.
In the immediate aftermath, authorities launched a homicide investigation. Early reports described how a suspect with dreadlocks was believed to have fired the single shot that struck Cohen before fleeing from the neighborhood into the darkness, leaving behind a chaotic scene and panicked witnesses. As the scope of the case became clear, the Essex County Prosecutor's Office took over the investigation, treating the shooting as yet another devastating act of gun violence in a city already too familiar with such loss.
Days later, officials confirmed publicly that Cohen had died from his wounds and emphasized that the search for whoever was responsible was still active. Investigators stated that no arrests had been reported and that the motive remained unknown, even as family, friends, and community members mourned and shared memories of a life cut short. Years on, updates continue to note the absence of any reported arrest in connection with the killing, leaving the case officially unresolved and those who loved him still waiting for answers and justice.
