In the early evening of March 12, 2018, a burst of violence on a Newark street claimed the life of 28-year-old Shahad Smith. A Bloomfield resident, Smith was in the 700 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard at approximately 5:42 p.m. when he was fatally shot. Emergency responders pronounced him dead at the scene less than thirty minutes later. The weapon used in the shooting was identified as an assault weapon. This tragic event was part of a particularly violent 24-hour period in Newark that saw a total of three homicides.
The death of the young, Black/African American man resonated beyond the city limits, notably catching the attention of U.S. Senator Cory Booker. The senator revealed a personal connection to the victim, stating that Smith had been his neighbor for eight years in the same housing complex. In a public statement, Booker expressed his grief and emphasized that Smith's life, and therefore his death, must matter.
This high-profile acknowledgment brought a national spotlight to the persistent issue of gun violence in communities like Newark.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, the Essex County Prosecutor's Office Homicide/Major Crimes Task Force, which includes detectives from the Newark Police Department, launched an investigation into Smith's death. Authorities appealed to the public for any information that might lead to the apprehension of those responsible. However, despite the public attention and the ongoing investigation, no arrests have been announced in the case. No suspects have been publicly identified, and the case of who killed Shahad Smith remains unresolved, leaving a painful void for his family and community.
