Family Mourns Mother Shot To Death While Walking With 3-Year-Old Son In Boonton, N.J.
BOONTON, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- Police in Morris County say a woman was killed and her husband wounded after both were shot while walking with their 3-year-old child Tuesday night at around 11 p.m.
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The shooting happened in Boonton near Cedar Street. Family members said 27-year-old Nazish Noorani and her husband, 26-year-old Kashif Pervaiz, were confronted by several men shooting at them as they walked between family homes.
Noorani was killed and Pervaiz was shot four times. Their 3-year-old son was in a stroller and was not hurt. The couple also has a 5-year-old son, who was at home at the time of the incident.
Morris County prosecutor Robert Bianchi said in a statement that the shooting appeared to be "target specific" and that "there is not a continuing danger to the general public at large."
The Mayor of Boonton, Cyril Wekilsky, told CBS 2's Christine Sloan that "indications are" that the shootings were not random.
Wednesday night, the family was mourning the loss just steps away from where the barrage of bullets flew. They are still awaiting word from investigators on what was ultimately behind the shooting.
Noorani's brother made a plea for anyone in the public who may know something to say something.
"I just wanted to say like whoever has any information about this shooting or anything, just come forward and...tell the police or anyone," Kaleem Noorani said.
Pervaiz and his wife were in town from Boston for the holy month of Ramadan, when practicing Muslims refrain from eating during daylight hours. Family members said the couple was breaking fast when the attack occurred.
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The couple had dinner at a relative's home two blocks away and were walking back to Noorani's childhood home when they were shot. According to Hyder Kahn, Pervaiz's childhood friend, Pervaiz told authorities there were three attackers.
"Apparently someone was waiting for them," said Kahn. "It wasn't a robbery, from what it seems like. They didn't ask them for money. They just hopped out and shot at them. They were looking to kill them."
Witnesses said they heard five shots. Three suspects reportedly fled the scene and at least one was reportedly armed with an automatic rifle.
Noorani, a native of Karachi, Pakistan, was wearing traditional Pakistani clothing at the time of the shooting. Her husband is from Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.
The couple married six years ago in Boonton and lived in Boston, where Pervaiz is a PhD student in architecture and engineering at Harvard.
Boonton has a large Pakistani Muslim community and relatives said they've never been subjected to racism. Meanwhile, Pervaiz's father, Shafq Hassan, said he is desperate to see his son and grandchild.
"I have no idea what to do," said Hassan. "I just want to see my son."
Investigators towed away the family's car Wednesday morning. They also stopped by the family's home in Boonton. Her family said she was a loving and caring mother.
The couple's children are with their grandparents and other family members. Police and the Morris County Prosecutor's Office are still investigating the shootings.
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