By Noah Cohen, Ted Sherman
nj.com
NEWARK, N.J. — Two Newark police officers were shot by an unknown gunman firing from a building Tuesday afternoon, federal and state officials said.
Officials said the assailant remained at large.
Sources, however, said it appeared a man on a roof of a building in South Newark fired at two police officers in a standoff, but a spokeswoman for the Newark Police Department could not offer any immediate confirmation or details.
Helicopter video from the scene by ABC7ny.com showed police in tactical gear searching the roof of a multi-story apartment building at the corner of Van Velsor Place and Chancellor Avenue. It is unclear if that is the building where the gunman opened fire.
State Assemblyman Ralph Caputo, D-Essex, who represents that area, said the gunman had a long gun he fired from a roof of an apartment building in the South Ward. He said authorities have “shut everything down” in the neighborhood and are telling people to stay in their homes.
”There’s a lot of stress going on,” Caputo said.
He said both officers have been transported to University Hospital and are still alive, but the shooter had yet to be captured. Details about their conditions were not immediately available. Hospital officials declined to comment.
Gov. Phil Murphy confirmed the shooting as officials scrambled to respond.
“I am aware of and closely monitoring an unfolding situation in Newark. I am in touch with local authorities and the state is providing resources as requested,” said the governor. “We will continue to support local law enforcement and ensure that all residents are safe.”
Murphy’s office deferred other comment to local police because the issue is still unfolding.
Newark schools were locked down as a precaution, district officials said.
“I am aware of and closely monitoring the situation unfolding in Newark,” U.S. Rep. Donald Payne Jr., D-10th Dist., who encouraged everyone to follow the directions of police, stay away from the scene, remain vigilant by going indoors and lock their doors.
“I am also praying for the two courageous officers wounded today and am praying for their full recovery,” he said.
Two people who live in the neighborhood told News 12 New Jersey that they were inside their homes when they heard about a dozen gunshots coming from outside. When they went outside, they saw two police officers had been hit by bullets.
On the ground, a portion of Chancellor Ave was blocked off from Maple Avenue and Bergen Street, as federal agents, Newark police and Irvington police swarmed the area. Otherwise it was a quiet urban neighborhood filled with old but well-maintained homes.
A large group of onlookers gathered near the corner of Bergen Street and Lynn’s Ave as police sirens wailed near and far. Police tactical units flooded the scene and heavily armed officers maneuvered.Parts of Bergen Street were blocked off for several blocks. A police helicopter hovered in place high in the sky overhead.
The shooting occurred in a neighborhood of single-family homes in South Newark near the Hillside border, a few blocks from Weequahic Park.
D’Andre Mentor,23, was in his apartment on Chancellor Avenue, when he looked outside and saw four or five police vehicles racing down the street.
“I didn’t hear any gunshots,” he said, but went outside to see what the commotion was about. He looked down what appeared to be a civilian vehicle on fire two blocks down Chancellor.
“It could have been combustion from the bullets,” he said. He did not see any wounded police officers. The fire department arrived put the fire out, as more cops arrived on the scene.
Catherine Adams, a spokeswoman for the Newark Department of Public Safety, said there would be a press conference “in about an hour.”
NJ Advance Media staff writers Rich Cowen, Brent Johnson, Katie Kausch, Steven Rodas, Matt Stanmyre and Steve Strunsky contributed to this report.
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