In the late afternoon of August 21, 2017, a burst of gunfire shattered the quiet of a Newark neighborhood, leaving a young woman's life tragically cut short. Shirlena Coke, a 22-year-old Black female from nearby Bloomfield, was in the 700 block of South 19th Street at approximately 5:45 p.m. when the shooting occurred. She was not alone; three men were also present and struck by the hail of bullets.
Emergency services rushed to the scene, discovering a chaotic and violent tableau.
Two of the wounded men were found at the location of the shooting. All four victims were transported to area hospitals for medical attention. While the three men were treated for non-life-threatening injuries, Shirlena Coke succumbed to her wounds at University Hospital a short time later. A fourth male victim later appeared at St. Barnabas Hospital in Livingston with a gunshot wound related to the same incident.
The Essex County Prosecutor's Office Homicide/Major Crimes Task Force, in conjunction with the Newark Police Department, immediately launched an investigation into the fatal shooting. Authorities withheld the identities of the three male victims for their safety as the inquiry commenced. In the initial stages of the investigation, a motive for the shooting had not been determined, and it was unclear whether Shirlena or the men with her were the intended targets. Despite appeals to the public for information, authorities announced that no suspects had been identified and no arrests had been made in connection with the shooting. The investigation into the death of Shirlena Coke was described as active and ongoing.
