At least six people were killed, including a police officer after a gunfight erupted between police and suspects in Jersey City, New Jersey on Tuesday, according to authorities.
Mayor Steven Fulop said that the shooting took place at a Jewish market near the Sacred Heart School. The shooters had “targeted” the market in their attack.
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During a press conference on Tuesday, Jersey City police Mike Kelly said, “This is an investigation that will take weeks, maybe months” while pointing to the challenge of piecing together events that unfolded over the course of hours at multiple locations.
Preliminary reports indicate that Seals was killed “while trying to interdict the bad guys,” Kelly said of the 39-year-old father of five.
Law enforcement sources said that the incident began after Seals, a detective working with the gun squad, and another officer spotted a van suspected of being linked to a homicide last weekend in Bayonne, New Jersey.
The suspects then drove off and holed up inside the Jersey City Kosher Supermarket, located in the city’s mainly Jewish Greenville neighborhood.
Loud volleys of gunfire could be heard at regular intervals but subsided around 2 pm in the city, which is just across the Hudson River from Manhattan.
Dozens of bystanders pressed against the police barrier to film the action on cellphones, some whooping when gunfire bursts filled the air.
Taking to Twitter, President Donald Trump said, “Just received a briefing on the horrific shootout that took place in Jersey City, NJ. Our thoughts & prayers are w/ the victims & their families during this very difficult & tragic time. We will continue to monitor the situation as we assist local & state officials on the ground”.
All the municipal schools were put on lockdown.
The New York Police Department sent emergency services personnel, and the force’s counterterrorism unit was monitoring the situation.
