By Chris Sheldon
nj.com
NEWARK, N.J. — The man who shot and wounded two Newark police officers at an apartment building Tuesday placed his gun on the face of one of the cops and started firing, documents detailing the incident acquired by NJ Advance Media show.
Officers Johnny Aquino and Jabril Paul were dispatched to an apartment building on Van Velsor Place on Tuesday around 1 p.m. after a 911 caller recognized a man from a news report saying he was wanted for questioning in connection to an earlier shooting, according to the documents. The caller told police the man was reading a book in the back parking lot of the building.
Paul and Aquino found the man, Kendall Howard, 30, in the rear parking lot and repeatedly told him not to move, but he ignored their commands and was then ordered to get on the ground and not move, the documents state, citing footage from the officers’ body-worn cameras. He then began walking away and the officers “physically intervened,” the documents said.
While trying to escape their control, Howard pulled a handgun from his right pants pocket, placed the weapon on Aquino’s face and started firing, according to the report. Aquino was struck in the neck and Paul was hit in his left leg as Howard fled, they said.
Other officers who later responded to the scene drove Paul and Aquino to hospital. Paul was released on Wednesday and Aquino was released Friday.
As police began to search for Howard, he was charged with the attempted murder of the two police officers as well as weapons-related offenses and still photos of Howard were released to media in hopes of someone being able to help authorities locate him.
Howard’s mother ultimately contacted investigators after seeing the images that were placed on a flyer and told them it was her son and said that he was residing at an apartment in the building police first responded to, according to documents.
He was taken into custody shortly after 11 a.m. Wednesday at the building that was surrounded by law enforcement officers for hours a day before, officials said.
Authorities have released few new details and were unable to explain Howard’s whereabouts during the search. It was unclear where he was hiding as scores of local, state and federal law enforcement officials in tactical gear searched for the accused shooter. As of Friday evening, neither Newark officials nor the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office have commented further. The documents acquired by NJ Advance Media did not shed new light on the details surrounding Howard’s arrest.
Howard pleaded not guilty to all the charges during a virtual hearing on Thursday, according to the prosecutor’s office.
When asked by the judge if he understood the charges, Howard, who appeared from inside Essex County Jail, where he is being held, answered “yes.”
Howard will appear in court on the morning of Wednesday, November 9, for a detention hearing before Essex County Superior Court Judge Michael Ravin.
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