On Tuesday afternoon, two suspects opened fire at police officers near a kosher grocery market at Wilkinson Avenue and Martin Luther King Dr in Jersey City, state of New Jersey, according to local police sources. As the gunmen barricaded themselves in the store, the heavy gunfire began.
Six people have been confirmed dead as a result of the incident, according to NBC New York.
According to the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office (HCPO), at least one of the policemen died, and three more people were injured in the standoff - another two officers and three civilians. Those wounded remain in stable condition.
The local media reported earlier, citing City Mayor Steven Fulop, that there were "multiple deceased" inside the grocery store following the shooting.
Once again please credit Radin for all video from Jersey City Shooting. pic.twitter.com/MWTbBuiwlD
— NYC Blue Lives Photographer (@bluelivesphoto) December 10, 2019
Jersey City shooting pic.twitter.com/khzrjNOOvb
— Reynaldo Acevedo (@ReyAce1278) December 10, 2019
US: U/D Clip, Shooting situation in Jersey City continues, suspects reportedly are man and woman, orthodox Jewish bystander seen running for his life as gunfire continues pic.twitter.com/vUhlxI09i6
— Yiddish News (@YiddishNews) December 10, 2019
State Police assets, SWAT teams, and the FBI agents are all active at the incident.
The witnesses reported non-stop heavy gunfire for at least an hour.
New Jersey sound like Afghanistan#NewJersey Shooting #USA pic.twitter.com/N7HuwBW9Xt
— Hafiz Rana Akif (@HafizRanaAkif) December 10, 2019
Scenes from the unfolding shooting attack in Jersey city #jerseycity #shooting pic.twitter.com/f5IHem4pvr
— MikesOffice (@office_mikes) December 10, 2019
All schools in the city have been put on lockdown, but all students are safe, the authorities assured.
Hey I go to Henry Snyder Hs, a highschool that is now on lockdown in Jersey City Nj, the shooting was close to us. There are snipers on the roof and now there's a helicopter. I'm scared. pic.twitter.com/0OLiVylQPd
— @gguk (@clitaerus) December 10, 2019
Bayonne's Office of Emergency Management urged people to avoid the city's Greenville area.
In Washington, White House spokesperson Hogan Gidley said in a statement that President Donald Trump has been briefed on the situation and continues to monitor the shooting.
The suspects are reportedly a man and a woman.
There have been no details so far concerning their possible motives. Police sources, however, have said the incident "does not appear to be terrorism", media reporters say on Twitter.
The US state of New Jersey has one of the strictest gun control laws in the country. In September, NJ Governor Phil Murphy signed "a comprehensive, commonsense gun safety and gun-violence intervention legislation", following another six gun laws that he had authorised earlier. The Democratic governor dubbed his firearms legislation as "Gun Safety Package 2.0."
