Police reports shed new light on the killing of a 43-year-old Newark father.
NEWARK -- The shooting death of a 43-year-old city man early Wednesday morning may have been captured on video, according to police reports obtained by NJ Advance Media.
Thomas Smith died shortly after midnight at University Hospital in Newark after Newark police officers found him lying in front of a South 14th St. residence suffering apparent gunshot wounds, said a spokeswoman for the Essex County Prosecutor's Office.
According to the reports, members of Smith's immediate family were among the first civilians to arrive at the scene. Shortly after the police arrived, a young male approached officers and identified Smith as his father, the reports say.
Investigators at the scene were later approached by a person claiming to have video footage of the incident, the reports state.
Asked for comment on the reports, a spokesman for the Essex County Prosecutor's Office declined, citing the ongoing investigation into Smith's killing.
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Details of the incident included in the reports indicate that Smith was shot multiple times. Several bullet casings were found inside and outside the home, the reports say.
Investigators also discovered multiple holes where bullets passed through the building's facade, the reports state.
Attempts to reach the residents of the home and Smith's immediate family members were unsuccessful.
An investigation into the killing by the prosecutor's office Homicide Task Force is ongoing, Carter said.
Smith's death brought the city's 2016 homicide total to four.
Vernal Coleman can be reached at vcoleman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @vernalcoleman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.