Bystander Among 3 Dead in 2 Newark Shootings

Three people were killed, including a bystander caught in the crossfire, in two separate shootings Monday night in Newark.

The first shooting happened at about 5 p.m. Monday when occupants of a Jeep opened fire when the Oldsmobile Alero they were chasing crashed into another vehicle near the intersection of Turner Boulevard and Spruce Street, the Essex County Prosecutor's Office said.

Wesley Childs, 22, of Newark, who was was one of four occupants of the Alero, was fatally shot, the prosecutor's office said. Childs was pronounced dead at the scene at 5:47 p.m. Monday.

Velma Cuttino, 43, who was was a front-seat passenger in a vehicle waiting at a red light, was also shot and pronounced dead at University Hospital at 5:26 p.m., the prosecutor's office said. A preliminary investigation revealed Cuttino was a bystander who got caught in the crossfire, the prosecutor's office said.

Occupants of the Alero were possibly targeted in the shooting, according to the prosecutor's office. A 19-year-old Newark resident who was in the vehicle suffered a gunshot wound and is listed in stable condition, the prosecutor's office said. The other two passengers, also from Newark, were not injured. 

A 22-year-old Newark resident was killed in what appears to be an unrelated shooting at about 8:30 p.m. Monday.

Anthony Flowers was found shot in the area of Avon Avenue and South 12 Street and was pronounced dead at University Hospital at 9:14 p.m., the prosecutor's office said.

The shooting in the residential neighborhood appears to have stemmed from a dispute, the prosecutor's office said.

No further information was immediately available.

Anyone with information can contact the Essex County Prosecutor's Office Homicide/Major Crimes Task Force tips line at 877-847-7432.