A suspect is in custody after two police officers were shot while serving a search warrant in New Jersey, law enforcement sources told ABC News.
The incident occurred around 1 p.m. Tuesday in Newark. Officers from the Newark Police Department were responding to an apartment building after receiving a 911 call from a citizen regarding a flyer about an Oct. 28 shooting, according to Newark Mayor Ras Baraka.
The two responding officers encountered the suspect after leaving the building, and a “violent interaction” occurred, Fritz Frage, Newark’s public safety director, told reporters.
The officers ordered the suspect to drop his weapon when he shot them at close range then retreated back into the building, according to Baraka.
The gunman was at-large for nearly a day following the shooting.
In this screen grab from a video, law enforcement personnel are on the scene where two police officers were shot in Newark, N.J., on Nov. 1, 2022.
WABC
The suspect, 30-year-old Kendall Howard, was taken into custody Wednesday shortly after 11 a.m., officials said. Howard was led out of a building in Newark. It is unclear if he has an attorney.
The Essex County Prosecutor’s Office had previously authorized charges against Howard of two counts of attempted murder, as well as unauthorized possession of a weapon and unauthorized possession of a weapon for unlawful purposes.
An additional search warrant has been recently obtained to search for “additional evidence which we’re sure will provide everything we will need to move forward with this case,” Essex County Prosecutor Theodore Stephens said during a press briefing Wednesday afternoon.
In this screen grab from a video, law enforcement personnel are on the scene where two police officers were shot in Newark, N.J., on Nov. 1, 2022.
WABC
The officers were hospitalized in stable condition following the shooting, sources said. One officer was shot in the leg and the other suffered a graze wound to the neck, with the bullet going into his shoulder, Frage said.
Both are expected to make full recoveries, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said.
One of the officers was released from the hospital Wednesday to applause from members of the Newark Police Department. The other officer is expected to remain hospitalized for a few more days, Frage told reporters Wednesday.
Murphy said the state is “providing resources as requested.”
“I commend our local law enforcement on their swift action to control the situation and protect their community during another horrific act of gun violence,” he tweeted Wednesday following the suspect’s apprehension.
