Newark police: COVID-19 pandemic, virtual school a factor in rise of violence

The Newark Police Department says that the COVID-19 pandemic has been having an impact on violence in the city.
A 9-year-old girl is now recovering after she was shot in the leg and foot following an altercation between her 15-year-old sister and another teen. It happened around 5 p.m. Wednesday.
Police say that the teens got into an argument that escalated. The 16-year-old girl came to the victim’s home with an unidentified man. That’s when shots were fired.
Police are looking for that man. His age was unclear. The 16-year-old girl is in custody.
Newark Police Director Brian O’Hara says that the pandemic has had some impact on this type of violence.
"This incident speaks to the dilemma facing communities all over the country this summer, after children have been away from the structure of their classrooms for the past 15-months due to the pandemic,” O’Hara said. "The economic and social effects of the pandemic are having an impact on violence all across our country."
O’Hara is referring to students in Newark and other communities in New Jersey who have been stuck inside their homes with remote learning.
Newark officials have admitted that crime has spiked during the pandemic, recently revealing that 300 illegal guns have been confiscated by police so far in 2021. They have expressed concern that the violence may continue to rise as the summer continues.
Cameras are posted on the buildings near where the 9-year-old was shot. Police are hoping that they may help in identifying the unknown man involved in the shooting.