The son of the Newark imam who was fatally shot outside his mosque earlier this month has been arrested on gun charges – though officials have not indicated whether the rap is related to the deadly shooting.
Abdush K. Sharif, 36, was taken into custody alongside Kevin Rogers, 46, and Deshawn Kinchen, 49, at a residence in Newark Friday, NJ.com reported, citing the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office.
The three are charged with a fourth-degree violation of regulatory provisions relating to firearms related to a revolver that was found during the execution of a search warrant, the outlet added.
None of the men had legal ownership of the weapon, according to probable cause documents.
Sharif and Rogers are now in the Essex County jail, records indicated.
Kenchen was released on a summons, NJ.com reported.
Sharif’s father, 52-year-old Imam Hassan Sharif, was shot outside the Masjid Muhammed-Newark Mosque around 6:15 a.m. on Jan. 3.
He died at University Hospital later that day.
About two weeks later, authorities said they were eyeing whether a relative was behind the killing, NBC reported.
Law enforcement sources also previously identified the imam’s son as the focus of the investigation, the outlet added.
As of Tuesday, however, the prosecutor’s office declined to comment on whether Abdush Sharif’s arrest was connected to his father’s death.
The Essex County Prosecutor’s Office could not immediately be reached by The Post.
There is no evidence to suggest that Hassan Sharif’s killing was an act of anti-Muslim violence, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said shortly after the incident.
In August, Hassan Sharif posted on Facebook that a gunman approached him while he headed to the mosque for morning prayers.
“As I fought him off, I did what I do, I manage to remove the gun from his hand and pull the trigger to stop him dead in his tracks, the gun wouldn’t fire though as he fled,” he recalled of the confrontation.
Officials have not said whether the earlier incident may be tied to Hassan Sharif’s killing.
Authorities are offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to the capture of the imam’s killer.
The New Jersey chapter of the Council of American-Islamic Relations is also offering a separate $10,000 reward for information.