A 14-year-old suspect was taken into custody on murder charges following a shootout with Newark police officers Friday evening that left one dead and a second hospitalized, police and county officials said.
The two officers involved in the shooting were investigating potentially illegal firearms when gunfire was exchanged in the city’s North Ward, in the area of Broadway and Carteret Street, officials said at a Saturday morning press conference.
Police and officials with the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office said both officers and the teenage suspect were injured in the altercation. The 14-year-old was taken to the hospital to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries, they said.
A five-year veteran of the police department, Officer Joseph Azcona, was struck and killed while he was still in his patrol car. The 26-year-old officer was pronounced dead at the hospital overnight.
The second officer wounded was taken to University Hospital and was also being treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
At least one gun was recovered from the teenage suspect, official said at the press conference. Four other individuals were also placed into custody and were being questioned by police and county investigators.
The 14-year-old suspect was facing charges of murder, attempted murder, and illegal weapons possession.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said he had been “updated on an incident” involving the officers in Newark, and urged people to “pray for these officers, their families, and all our men and women in uniform who put their lives on the line to keep up safe.”
The state attorney general’s office said it was monitoring the situation as well.
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