Six people died including a police officer in a shootout by two gunmen near a cemetery and a Kosher Supermarket in New Jersey City on Tuesday afternoon (local time), December 10.
The police officer is identified as Joe Seals. He is father of five and been in the Jersey City force since 2006.
Two more police officers were wounded but now they are in stable condition. Both have been released from the hospital.
The Jersey City Police Chief Michael Kelly said the two gunmen were killed in exchange of gunfire. They were pronounced, along with three civilians, dead inside the JC Kosher Supermarket.
The suspects arrived in a stolen U-Haul truck and for hours held police at bay around the supermarket before the shootout ended.
Kelly added, “Their movement was rapid and continuous for four hours within that area.”
Schools in the Jersey City were locked down as a precautionary measure and later lifted.
US President Donald Trump said prayers and thoughts are with the victims and their families.
There is yet no clear reason why the gunmen attacked civilians and police officers, and authorities are examining the stolen vehicle.
According to NBC television, hundreds of rounds were fired in the New Jersey City shooting.
United States have lately become accustomed to such shootouts. In 2017 there were 40,000 deaths linked to firearms. Shootings are everywhere – in schools, in cinemas and even in churches.
