Essex County Prosecutor Paula Dow says the preliminary investigation indicates Canty was neither a robbery victim nor the shooter's intended target.
Canty has lived alone in Newark's Stephen Crane Village since 1996.
The fatality boosts the number of homicides so far this year in New Jersey's largest city to 27, compared with 26 homicides for the same period of 2008.
NEW YORK AND TRI-STATE AREA NEWS
USEFUL LINKS: