Police are searching for a gunman who fatally shot an imam outside his mosque in Newark, New Jersey, on Wednesday, an incident that heightened fears in the Muslim community amid increased tension in the U.S. since the start of the Israel-Hamas war.
The shooting, which does not appear to have been motivated by bias, occurred around 6:15 a.m. at South Orange Avenue and Camden Street, Newark Public Safety Director Fritz Fragé said.
Hassan Sharif, an imam at Masjid Muhammad-Newark, was hospitalized in critical condition. He died from his injuries around 2:20 p.m., law enforcement sources said.
Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore Stephens told reporters Wednesday afternoon that Sharif was shot more than once.
New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said in a statement, "At a time when bias incidents against members of the Muslim community are on the rise, we know that this act of gun violence will heighten fears and concerns in our State."
He added that "every possible angle will, of course, be explored and every lead will be fully investigated."
A motive is unclear, and the shooting remains under investigation. Requests for help and reports of bias incidents from Muslims across the U.S. have increased since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, according to the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
New Jersey is home to 320,000 Muslim Americans, Platkin said.
The New Jersey chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations said it is gathering information about the shooting.
“We are deeply concerned about this incident. Anyone with information about the shooting should immediately contact local police,” CAIR-NJ said in a statement.
A spokesperson with the FBI in New Jersey said the agency is not involved in the investigation.
A pillar in the community
The shooter, who was wearing all black, was seen running from the scene of the gunfire, authorities said. No other details about the shooter were available Wednesday afternoon. Essex County Crime Stoppers is offering a $25,000 reward for anyone with information about the shooting, the sheriff said.
Sharif had been a transportation security officer at Newark Liberty International Airport since 2006.
"We are deeply saddened to learn of his passing and send our condolences to his family, friends and co-workers," the Transportation Security Administration said in a statement to NBC New York.
Many people described Sharif as a pillar in the community. Fragé said that he was a part of the city's safe surrender program and that the mosque was one of the safe houses where fugitives turned themselves in. He had been an imam at the mosque for five years.
Qasim Amin Nathari, 59, said he joined the mosque as a child and later developed a relationship with Sharif based on mutual respect. Sharif, Nathari recalled, always viewed himself as a servant to the congregants.
"He was just a good man, which makes it so tragic," Nathari said.
Sharif was listed as an advisory board member from 2022 to 2023 for the mosque’s Social Services and Health Wellness program. In April 2022, he joined about 60 other people, including Jewish and Christian faith leaders, at a climate change protest in Newark.
"He was a community advocate who protested against gun violence continuously," Fragé told reporters. "He supported the city in all of his efforts in helping to keep our city safe. It is with deep loss that the city will mourn his absence."
Saydah Maiga, 37, of Newark, a member of the mosque, recalled how Sharif helped her when she converted to Islam in June.
"He was there for me when I needed prayer when I first became a Muslim," she said. "He definitely made sure he reached out to me, to help me learn my prayers so that I could become the best Muslim."
She said the shooting was "very scary and sad for our Islamic community, because he’s a very beautiful imam that helps everyone."
Margaret Adebayo, a matron of nearby Celestial Church of Christ/Newark New Jersey Parish, said Sharif was a "good man" and "very friendly."
Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka said his heart was broken.
"Imam Hassan Sharif stood with the people of this city, and we will stand with him and his family," he said in a statement. "None of us has to know the details about this shooting to condemn it. Any act of violence, any killing or harming of any person, is never okay — no matter what precipitates or motivates such a depraved act.
"Today we mourn a fellow Newarker and a member of our city’s multi-faith clergy community. I am disgusted that a gun has made its way through our community to kill one of us," he continued, promising to "bring the perpetrator to justice, no matter how long it takes."
Increased patrols around mosques
In the wake of the shooting, police patrols at each mosque in Nassau County, New York, were increased.
"While there is no information at this time concerning the cause of the shooting, out of an abundance of caution I am increasing patrols to protect the Muslim community," County Executive Bruce Blakeman said.
In a statement, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said he wanted "to assure the Muslim community and people of all faiths that we will do everything in our power to keep all residents safe, especially in or near our houses of worship."
A spokesperson from Masjid Muhammad-Newark said the community was "hurting" following Sharif's death and that he would be "sorely missed."
In a statement, the Masjid Muhammad-Newark board of directors said Sharif was responsible for visiting "sick and shut-in members and bereaving families in hospitals and homes to provide consolation and care from an Islamic and humanistic perspective."
He also visited schools to promote leadership and positive images of Black men and fathers, the board of directors said, and twice a month distributed food to the community of South Orange Avenue.
"Imam Hassan demonstrated, on many occasions, that he was committed to improving the lives of people through service," the board said.
The shooting comes months after an imam at the Omar Mosque in Paterson, about 15 miles north of Newark, was stabbed while leading prayers. The suspect, Serif Zorba, was arrested on several charges, including attempted murder.
