UPDATE: Authorities have identified the deceased as Sharif Austin, a 21-year-old man from New Brunswick.

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ—Sad news came on Christmas Eve for the family of a man shot and killed in the Hub City’s Second Ward.

Authorities have not identified the victim or even confirmed there was a fatality, but multiple sources tell New Brunswick Today the victim was a young man from this area.

The Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office did confirm that they are involved in an “active investigation” on Lee Avenue.

The street was blocked off between Handy and Seaman Streets on the morning of December 24.

Lee Avenue was the scene of a gun murder on the evening of December 23, according to sources.

It’s still not clear yet where exactly the shooting took place.

One source told New Brunswick Today that the victim was pronounced dead sometime around midnight after being shot seven times.

Authorities still have not released any information about their investigation, and it’s unclear if any suspects have been identified.

This would be the third murder of 2019 reported in New Brunswick, and the first involving a firearm.

When New Brunswick Today asked the New Brunswick Police Department (NBPD) earlier this year how many shootings there had been in 2019, the department couldn’t say.

NJ State Police data also does not clarify how many shootings have taken place in New Brunswick, though their public data previously broke down the number of assaults into categories that included assaults with firearms.

Editor at New Brunswick Today | 732-993-9697 | editor@newbrunswicktoday.com | Website

Charlie is the founder and editor of New Brunswick Today, and the winner of the Awbrey Award for Community-Oriented Local Journalism. He is a proud Rutgers University journalism graduate, a community organizer, and a former independent candidate for mayor of New Brunswick.

Charlie is the founder and editor of New Brunswick Today, and the winner of the Awbrey Award for Community-Oriented Local Journalism. He is a proud Rutgers University journalism graduate, a community organizer, and a former independent candidate for mayor of New Brunswick.