Nazish Noorani, Pakistani woman shot in 'target-specific' attack while walking with husband, son in New Jersey

A Pakistani woman who was killed and her Harvard-educated husband wounded when they were gunned down in front of their three-year-old son in New Jersey were targeted, police have said.

Officers said the shooting, which happened last night as 27-year-old Nazish Noorani and her husband Kashif Pervaiz went for a walk with their youngest child after a Ramadan meal at her sister's house, was not random.

'From what we have determined… it should be noted that this shooting clearly appears to be target specific and that there is not a continuing danger to the general public at large,' said Morris County Prosecutor Robert Bianchi.

Shot: Nazish Noorani, right, was killed and her husband Kashif Pervaiz wounded after they were shot in Boonton, New Jersey

The couple were walking through a typically quiet area of Boonton when at least two men fired on them with a rifle.

Five shots rang out about 11:30pm as Ms Noorani was fatally hit near her heart and Mr Pervaiz was shot in the ankle and shoulder. The child was not hurt.

The couple who had been married for six years also had a five-year-old child who was with Ms Noorani's sister.

Mr Hassan, 26, was studying for a PhD in architecture and engineering at Harvard University.

Ms Noorani's cousin, Muhammad Khan, told NBC New York that she was dressed in cultural clothing at the time of the shooting, although she was not wearing a hijab.

Scene: Police remove the stroller from the area as they said they believe the couple was targeted

Grieving: Shafiq Hassan, Mr Pervaiz's father, today said, 'It's very hard. What can we do? What can we do?'

Shafiq Hassan, Mr Pervaiz's father, today said, 'It's very hard. What can we do? What can we do?

'I just want to see my son. I hope he's OK.' He added that Ms Noorani was 'a very nice, sweet girl.'

He said that the couple had been living between his home in Brooklyn and Boston.

Katie Vakstad, was among the first responders to reach the couple.

'The woman was down, laying on her back, with a gunshot wound to her chest area,' she told NBC New York. 'They were doing CPR on her, using the defibrillator on her.'

Mr Hassan is said to be in a stable condition.