In the crisp autumn air of an Orange, New Jersey evening, the life of 32-year-old Sharif Norman was tragically cut short. On Monday, November 20, 2017, the sound of gunfire shattered the night in the vicinity of Park Avenue and North Center Street. When the echo of the shots faded, Norman was left suffering from a fatal gunshot wound.
Orange Police Department officers responded to a call of shots fired at approximately 9:29 p.m.
Upon their arrival, they discovered the grave scene and a man whose life was slipping away. Emergency medical personnel were unable to save him, and Sharif Norman was pronounced dead at the scene less than thirty minutes later, at 9:52 p.m. The Essex County Prosecutor's Office Homicide/Major Crimes Task Force was called in to lead the investigation into the violent death of the Orange resident.
In the days that followed, authorities reached out to the public for assistance, seeking any information that could lead to the person or persons responsible for this act. Despite their investigative efforts, information regarding any arrests or the identification of any suspects in the shooting of Sharif Norman has not been made publicly available. The case, like the November night of the incident, remains shrouded in an unsettling quiet, leaving a community to mourn and a family to wonder if justice will ever be served for their loss.
