At approximately 3 a.m. on Friday morning, Ismar Mineros, 18, of Willow Avenue, was shot and killed near the 500 Block of Jackson Street on the property of the Hoboken Housing Authority projects, said Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio Friday.

According to DeFazio, there was "dispute between two groups" before the shooting occurred.

"We're still investigating the origin of the dispute, but we do know that a shooter produced a handgun and fired multiple times [at Mineros], hitting him in the chest," DeFazio said. "He was pronounced dead shortly afterwards at St. Mary Hospital."

DeFazio said that there were several eyewitnesses to the shooting, and the Hoboken Police Department and the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office are conducting a joint investigation.

"We are hopeful that an arrest or arrests will be made in the very near future," he said.

According to Hoboken Board of Education President Carmelo Garcia, Mineros was a student in the district's Alternative High School program, which is housed at the local Boys and Girls Club. His mother, Aida Mineros, is a teacher's aide in the public schools.

"Our deepest sympathy goes out to his family and friends," Garcia said. He added that the public schools will offer grief counseling for students and families in the coming days. "This is truly a tragic situation."

Hoboken's hotspot

Murders in Hoboken are relatively rare; in 2005 there was only one. In June, Marshall Drive resident Anne Pereira, 83, was beaten to death. A Union City woman who allegedly used Pereira's debit card at several area merchants was charged in the murder.

DeFazio said, "It is clear that [the area around the Hoboken Housing Authority] is a higher crime area." He added that much of Hoboken's drug dealing, gang activity and violent crimes occur within a short radius of the public housing projects.

"While Hoboken is relatively safe, having an area where level of criminal activity is so much higher is troublesome," DeFazio said.