After a detective was shot dead in a Jersey City cemetery, a violent shootout erupted Tuesday between police and two suspects about a mile away, turning a busy neighborhood into a deadly battlefield that lasted two hours. Hundreds of shootouts took place.
By the time the incident was over, six people were dead: a detective, two suspects who opened fire on police from inside a small supermarket, and three bystanders who were inside the store when the shooting began.
of Detective identified as Joseph ShieldsA father of five from Arlington, he was part of the department tasked with removing guns from the city’s streets. Shields was on duty and wearing plain clothes when he was shot by at least one of the suspects in Bayview Cemetery.
Jersey Police Chief Michael Kelly said: “We believe he was killed trying to stop the bad guys.
Authorities said they weren’t sure why detectives were there but were investigating whether they were part of an investigation. It said it was found and removed from the area.
Kelly said, “I haven’t given any thought to motives.”
The Federal Office of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was on the scene with the FBI. The Newark U.S. Attorney’s Office said on social media that it was part of an investigation, along with state and local authorities.
The shootout lasted about two hours, and police killed the suspect at around 2:30 pm. His two unidentified suspects and his three others were found dead in the store.
A bystander was struck by a bullet believed to have been fired by the suspect, police said. They were inside a kosher grocery store in the part of the city that was home to about 100 Orthodox Jewish families.
Jersey City Mayor Stephen Flopp said he and other officials met with relatives of the detective on Tuesday.
Kelly said police discovered the seal had been shot around 12:30 pm. Around that time, there was a call that Martin Luther King was shot in his drive in the Greenville section of the city.
According to Kelly, responding police faced “intense rifle fire” from two gunmen who were inside the JC Kosher supermarket.
A bystander killed inside the store was hit by “bad guy gunfire,” the chief said.
late Tuesday, Flopp wrote in a tweet Based on early and ongoing research at the time, “active shooters targeted where they attacked”.
The identities of the three bystanders were not released as of Tuesday night. Police did not say if anyone else was in the store. But no other civilians were reported injured outside the store after hours of barrage of bullets sprayed on a street that was usually densely populated but had been cordoned off by police. did not.
Shields was pronounced dead at the hospital, and three civilians and two suspects died inside the store, Kelly said. Kelly said a second mate was hit in the shoulder and a third in the body in a shootout at the store.
Both officers, Ray Sanchez and Mariella Fernandez, were released from the hospital by late afternoon.
“I can tell you they were very brave, along with many of the men and women out there,” Kelly said.
Shields enlisted in the police force in 2006 and was stationed in what Kelly called “one of the busiest neighborhoods” in the Southern District. [precincts] In New Jersey”, with “massive violent crime”.
“He was our primary police officer who removed guns from the streets,” Kelly said. “Responsible for removing dozens of handguns from the streets.”
The Shields family lives on a quiet street in a two-story single-family home in North Arlington. Friends were seen leaving the house in tears on Tuesday, with neighbors calling the veteran detective’s death a “true tragedy.”
29-year-old Victoria Frankowski explained that the Seal family is a wonderful family that has always been kind to her. She, like many in her neighborhood, learned of her neighbor’s death while watching her news.
“It was really infuriating — especially on my block. Right?” Frankowski said. “It doesn’t look like something like this is going to be a hit so close to home. And then we got it.”
A family friend who stopped by the house said Shields was “a great man, a great dad, and was always with the kids.” He said he seemed to be doing well.
Governor Phil Murphy arrived at the scene of the shootout late in the afternoon with Senator Cory Booker and state attorney general Garbir Grewal. The governor was scheduled to be briefed in the evening.
“Tonight, we should all bring our children a little closer together,” the governor said, adding, “There is no ongoing threat to public safety related to today’s events.”
“Jersey City is a strong, resilient community,” said Murphy. “Tomorrow we will think of those who have been lost and in their names how we can prevent this from happening again.”
New Jersey U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito released a statement on social media, saying: “
President Donald Trump tweeted that he had been briefed on the shooting and was monitoring the situation.
“We have been briefed on the horrific shootout in Jersey City, New Jersey. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families during this extremely difficult and tragic time. State officials are on the scene,” Trump tweeted.
Jersey City resident James Scott, 45, was on Martin Luther King Drive and Wilkerson Avenue when he heard gunshots.
“I was in Martin Luther King’s corner. I know there was a shot next. We all got down on the ground. I got out of here,” Scott said. I was.
Lorenzo Richardson, who works for Hudson County’s Urban League on Martin Luther King Drive, said he started hearing a “very loud boom” around 12:30 p.m. He locked himself in his office while talking to reporters about it.
“Big, big shot. [They] It sounded like it was coming from a cannon. You can hear it through windows and interior walls,” said Richardson.
All Jersey City schools will be on lockdown until 4:15 p.m., Flopp said students will begin to be released. The school district had tweeted that it would not release the student until permission was granted by law enforcement.
The New Jersey Turnpike closed the exit ramp for Interchange 14B in Jersey City around 2pm due to a shootout.
The New Jersey Police Charity Association tweeted a message of support for the City of Jersey Police Department.
NJSPBA tweeted.
Staff writers Ricardo Kaulessar, Melanie Anzidei, Scott Fallon, Terrence McDonald, Steve Janoski, Svetlana Shkolnikova, Hannan Adely, and Jessie Gomez contributed to this article.
weather: It’s supposed to snow tomorrow, so the north jersey commute looks like this
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This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com. Jersey City shooting: How cop killing led to shootout and 6 dead