On the evening of March 4, 2023, a double homicide occurred on the 700 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Newark. At about 5:06 p.m., gunfire outside a corner grocery store at the intersection of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Spruce Street drew police to the scene. Sajade A. Nichols, a 35-year-old Black man from Carteret, New Jersey, was found with apparent gunshot wounds and taken to University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 5:54 p.m. A second, unidentified man was also found shot and pronounced dead at 5:25 p.m.

Witnesses say multiple shots were fired from a dark-colored Mercedes-Benz with temporary plates, which then fled the area. The Essex County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide/Major Crimes Task Force is leading the active investigation, and no arrests have been announced. If anyone has information about the shooting, please contact the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office tips line.