The 9-year-old, identified as Yasin Morrison, was on his way to visit his grandmother with his 3-year-old sister and father when he was shot.
Saturday, February 1, 2025 11:59PM
Janice Yu has more from Newark.
NEWARK, New Jersey (WABC) — Police continue to search for the suspect who shot and killed a 9-year-old boy in Newark on Friday night.
The fatal shooting happened around 5:30 p.m. on Friday on Osborne Terrace.
The 9-year-old, identified as Yasin Morrison, was on his way to visit his grandmother with his 3-year-old sister and father when he was shot. The family had gotten out of a car in front of his grandmother’s house, but before they could reach the front door, Morrison got caught in gunfire.
“You took a life, you took a special life — a sweet boy that could never be replaced,” said Tisha Bolden, Morrison’s grandmother. “Wherever you are, I just wish you do the right thing and turn yourself in, come forward and just deal with whatever that has to be dealt with because he did not deserve what happened to him.”
Bolden says she was upstairs with her other grandkids at the time when she heard the shots.
“And the next thing we heard was screaming. We looked out the window, I saw my son and I saw my grandson laying on the ground,” Bolden said.
First responders transported the victim to University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Officials say a man was also shot during the incident. He was taken to the hospital and is expected to survive.
Investigators are now trying to determine what led up to the shooting and who fired the shots.
Morrison’s aunt, Markeida, tells Eyewitness News that her niece was devastated after the shooting.
“Imagine just seeing your brother, your brother die. She said to her mother last night, ‘My brother Yasin is dead.’ How heartbroken is that? I ask for justice,” she said.
Morrison’s family says the 9-year-old was autistic and non-verbal. They describe him as a great brother to his five siblings, and as a typical kid who should still be with them today.
“He loved Toy Story, he loved chicken nuggets, loved ‘Incredibles.’ He just was the sweetest boy, and I just I don’t know what we’re going to do without him,” Bolden said.
Meanwhile, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka released a statement on Friday calling the shooting “sickening.”
“It is sickening to me that anyone would be so deranged to recklessly endanger an innocent child. And that the child lost his life, is just infuriating to me as a father myself. We will not tolerate this reckless and dangerous behavior. The killer should know – we are coming after you. We are not going to rest until we find you, so turn yourself in now,” Baraka said.
Authorities are offering up to a $10,000 reward to anyone with information leading to an arrest.
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Josh Einiger reports from Washington, DC.
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The 9-year-old, identified as Yasin Morrison, was on his way to visit his grandmother with his 3-year-old sister and father when he was shot.
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