Six people killed in Jersey City shooting
JERSEY CITY, N.J. – Six people were killed – including a police officer – in a raging gunbattle Tuesday at a cemetery and corner store, forcing the city’s schools to lock down and rattling nearby residents.
One officer was pronounced dead at a hospital, and three civilians and two gunmen died at a kosher supermarket, police chief Mike Kelly said at a press conference. A second officer was struck in the shoulder by gunfire, and a third was struck in the body, he said.
Both officers had been released from the hospital.
Authorities said there was no immediate indication of terrorism but did not offer details about how the shooting unfolded or whether any suspects were taken into custody.
“The crime scene is very extensive and is at three locations, at least,” Kelly said.
The third location involves a stolen U-Haul vehicle, which was being examined by a bomb squad, Kelly said.
Sacred Heart School, a Catholic school across the street from the supermarket, was locked down, along with all Jersey City schools. No students or staff were harmed, the School District of Jersey City said in a Facebook post.
“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,” Gov. Phil Murphy said in a tweet.
The shooting began around 12:30 p.m. in the city’s Greenville neighborhood,just across the Hudson River from Lower Manhattan.
A stream of loud gunshots could be heard in the vicinity around 2 p.m.
Andy Patel, who works about three blocks away, said gunfire rang out for about an hour Tuesday afternoon.
“It’s like firecrackers going off. They were shooting like crazy about an hour ago. Then it stopped for like 20 or 30 minutes,” he said.
President Donald Trump said in a tweet that he was praying for the victims of this “horrific shootout” and their families.