Newark father fatally shot outside his home in front of his 3 children

NEWARK, N.J. (WABC) -- Police in Newark are trying to figure out who gunned down a father outside his home, right in front of his children.

A young father of three is dead and an entire family is mourning.

Neighbors are now living in fear, saying this cold-blooded killing is only the latest in what has been a series of crimes happening in their community.

"Scared to come outside of the house," a resident said.

"We're petrified and terrified," another resident said.

A wave of fear has washed over this Newark community following a vicious murder at this South 9th Street home early Wednesday morning.

Police say 37-year-old Hassan Scott was in the middle of taking his three small children ages 2, 4, and 9 to daycare when he was shot multiple times on his front steps.

"I heard a loud noise, boom, boom, boom," said Keith Beane, a neighbor. "I went outside the, guy was lying on the porch dead, shot."

"I pretty much heard four shots and it was a big gun, it wasn't, it had to be a 40 caliber," said Michele Beane, a neighbor.

Fortunately none of the children were hurt, but what they and their mother witnessed was horrific.

"The young lady that lives there, she was screaming she was crying, like 'Oh my gosh, oh my gosh,'" said Gloria Mitchell, a neighbor.

"She was just in shock, she told him to get up, she was asking him to get up," said Ivan Mitchell, a neighbor.

Neighbors say Scott and his family just moved in a couple months ago, but the area is no stranger to crime.

In fact right next door just two weeks ago, a family was tied up and robbed at gunpoint. Ivan Mitchell says his daughter was also robbed just across the street.

"We've been a target in this neighborhood for some reason and we're just hard working people trying to make it out here," Ivan Mitchell said. "Newark is just bad, it's bad, we can't even come outside and go to work and take your kids to daycare and get killed, that's not good."

As for Scott's murder, police so far haven't been able to determine a motive and no suspects have been identified.

Cameras on a nearby school may help with their investigation, but they're also asking anyone who may have seen or heard something to give them a call.

"Something has to be done, something has to be done," a neighbor said.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Essex County Prosecutor's Office Homicide/Major Crimes Task Force at 1-877-847-7432 or 1-877-TIPS-4-EC.