NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — Newark Mayor Ras Baraka spoke of the grief his community has experienced since a mass shooting on Saturday claimed the lives of 10-year-old Jordan Garcia and 21-year-old Kiyah Mae Scott.
"Watching kids come out of the classroom crying was very difficult for me." Baraka said of his visit to Garcia's elementary school Monday morning. "Very, very difficult, as a father, as a man in this city and very difficult as the mayor."
The shooting broke out at about 7 p.m. on Saturday night near Chancellor Avenue and Leslie Street, officials said. Garcia and his 11-year-old brother, walking home from a recreation center, were among the five people hit.
"It's clear what needs to happen, that these perpetrators need to turn themselves in, immediately, before the sun goes down tonight, would be preferable," Baraka said as the manhunt continues. "There is nothing that you could say or do that would justify a 10-year-old losing their life. The mother, two of her sons were shot."
Two men, ages 19 and 60, were also struck in the barrage of gunfire. Authorities said Monday that the younger man remained in critical condition.
When asked if the shooting was gang-related, the Essex County Prosecutor Theodore Stephens II would not address it. His office is offering a $10,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest and conviction in the case.