One police officer has been killed and multiple others are injured after gunmen opened fire in Jersey City, New Jersey, officials said on Tuesday.
The gunmen pulled up to Martin Luther King Drive in a U-Haul van carrying long guns, according to NJ.com, before walking into a storefront. At least two police officers and one civilian were injured after the gunmen reportedly began shooting from within the grocery store. The FBI said “more than one” officer was shot.
Police were searching for two shooters, one male and one female, according to CBS New York.
A representative for the City of Jersey, when contacted by The Independent, confirmed his office had been notified of the active shooter situation on early Tuesday afternoon. A representative for the local police department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Jersey City mayor Steven Fulop said in a brief statement to reporters there were “multiple deceased” residents inside a building the gunmen stormed. He added there was no indication of terrorism at this time and that all the schools in the area had been secured.
Local residents posted videos online that showed a Swat team and responding officers rushing to MLK Drive and Bayview Avenue. A police radio transmission indicated the police officer was shot inside of the Bayview Cemetery, NJ.com reported.
Heavily armed officials were seen moving swiftly through rainy street blocks carrying semiautomatic weapons. Schools remained on lockdown throughout the incident on Tuesday afternoon.
The US Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms’ (ATF) division in Newark, New Jersey confirmed in a tweet that its agents were “responding to reports of an active shooter” in the region.
Officers were also seen strapping on gas masks outside of a local church called the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ while ducking behind a large utility vehicle.
White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said Donald Trump had been briefed on the shooting and was monitoring it.
Loud volleys of gunfire could be heard at regular intervals but subsided around 2pm 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.
Andy Patel worked at a liquor store about three blocks away from the site of the shooting site and said there had been consistent gunfire fire.
“I can hear the gunshots. It’s like firecrackers going off. They were shooting like crazy about an hour ago. Then it stopped for like 20 or 30 minutes. The cops were clearing everyone off the streets”, he said.
Additional reporting by AP
