A man was shot while sitting in his car, neighbors at the scene said.
NEWARK — Authorities are on the scene of an early morning fatal shooting, officials confirmed Friday.
Wilbert Jones, 47, of Leslie Street in Newark, was shot and killed outside of his home at about 9:32 a.m. Friday, Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn Murray and Newark Police Director Eugene Venable confirmed.
Jones was shot multiple times, said Anthony Ambrose, Essex County Prosecutor's Office Chief of Detectives.
According to neighbors who declined to be identified, Jones was sitting behind the wheel warming up a tan sedan parked in the driveway of the home when a unidentified gunman walked up a fired multiple shots through the window.
Jones was later pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said.
Following the shooting, dozens of neighborhood residents and family members stood beyond the police barriers cordoning off the crime scene and on the porches of the stately homes that line Leslie Street, watching as investigators gathered evidence and spoke with witnesses.
Hours after the shooting, authorities removed the sedan from the driveway where the shooting occurred. The car's driver's side window appeared cracked with multiple bullet holes.
Two women at the scene who identified themselves as Jones' cousins declined to comment.
One neighbor who declined to be identified said that he was sitting inside his home Friday morning when he heard at least five gunshots ring out.
Another resident, who also declined to be identified, said that Jones killing is the first that he can remember after living in the neighborhood for 50 years.
An investigation by the Essex County Prosecutor's Office Homicide Task Force is ongoing, officials said. They have not yet identified a motive for the killing, or any suspects, they said.
No other information was immediately available.
Vernal Coleman can be reached at vcoleman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @vernalcoleman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.