JERSEY CITY – Six people, including one police officer, were killed during a shooting that occurred earlier today in Jersey City.
According to an NBC News report, one officer, three civilians and two suspects were killed in the incident and two additional officers were struck by gunfire during a shootout and standoff at a market. The two injured officers are in stable condition.
The fallen officer was shot by the suspects while investigating a murder. The two suspects then “holed up” in a store near Martin Luther King Drive and Bidwell Avenue, according to the report.
The New York Times described the scene: “For more than an hour, loud exchanges of gunfire rang out in the Greenville neighborhood of Jersey City, which is just across the Hudson River from Lower Manhattan. Helicopters circled overhead as police officers swarmed the streets.”
The shooting started around 12:30 p.m. and continued until just before 2 p.m. officials said.
In addition to Jersey City Police, SWAT teams, the New York Police Department Bomb Squad, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in Newark, and the FBI responded to the scene.
Jersey City schools were put on lockdown and nearby campuses in Bayonne were put under a shelter in place, according to the report.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the men and women of the Jersey City Police Department, especially with the officers shot during this standoff, and with the residents and schoolchildren currently under lockdown,” said Gov. Phil Murphy in a statement. “I have every confidence in our law enforcement professionals to ensure the safety of the community and resolve this situation. Today reminds us of their bravery and the sacrifices they, and their families, make for our communities.”
The latest report from CNN informed that there is no indication of terrorism in the shooting incident, as confirmed by the Department of Public Safety.
