An auto mechanic working on a car in Jersey City was fatally shot Wednesday afternoon as the vehicle's owner sat inside the car, horrified, the owner said.
"It's just unbelievable. I pray for his soul," the car's owner said, asking not to be identified because the gunman has not yet been located.
Larry Freeman, 50, was hit by a stray bullet while taking a look at a car on Sackett Street between Bramhall Avenue and Atlantic Street. The bullets flew as school was letting out at nearby Ollie Culbreth Jr. Elementary School, prompting authorities to send kids back into the building, sources familiar with the investigation tell NBC 4 New York.
A medical examiner was at the site of the shooting Wednesday evening as residents gathered.
"Living in this neighborhood is getting ridiculous," one person said.
Freeman's wife of four years, Claressa Williams, said she saw him shortly before he was killed. He told her, "I love you, I'll see you when I get home," she said.
"He's a quiet guy. He works, he comes in the house, and he comes back out and does the same thing every day," she said. "I don't understand who would do this to him."
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"Whoever did this, they need to catch him," said Williams. "He didn't deserve that, not Larry."
Police are investigating the shooting. No arrests have been made.
