A quiet Friday evening on Muhammad Ali Avenue in Newark turned violent on September 26, 2025, when arguing voices were followed by gunfire. Officers responding to a ShotSpotter alert just after 9:15 p.m. found 49-year-old Shakihl Onion in a rear stairwell near a garage at the 217–233 block, suffering multiple gunshot wounds to his back and hip. He was taken to University Hospital and pronounced dead shortly before midnight.

The Essex County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide/Major Crimes Task Force, working with Newark police, is investigating. Neighbors have suggested the confrontation may have begun as a dispute over a parking space, but that motive remains unconfirmed. No arrests have been announced and no suspects have been publicly identified.

Anyone who was in the Muhammad Ali Avenue area that night or who has information about the shooting is asked to come forward.