Police have arrested man accused of shooting two Newark cops, prosecutors say
After a "seven-plus-hour" manhunt, authorities apprehended Kendall Howard, the man accused of shooting two Newark police officers Tuesday afternoon, according to the Essex County Prosecutor's Office.
The Newark Police Department's emergency response team arrested the 30-year-old East Orange resident at about 11:10 a.m. Wednesday inside the same building where he allegedly had traded gunfire with city police less than one day before, said Theodore Stephens, the acting Essex County prosecutor.
"I was glad, this morning, that he was brought into custody," Newark Mayor Ras Baraka said. "It was a relief for families in a neighborhood that I actually live in, and a relief for citizens across the city of Newark."
Howard is charged with attempted murder and weapons offenses related to Tuesday's shooting, but Stephens confirmed few details about what initiated the bloody confrontation and how the defendant was able to evade local and federal authorities, who searched for him throughout the night.
Officers found Howard on Wednesday when they returned to the scene to look for additional evidence, according to Stephens, who said his office is still gathering information about Howard's whereabouts in the intervening hours.
"This is an ongoing investigation, if there ever was one," Stephens said, before alluding to additional evidence collected through a search warrant after the defendant's arrest that he could not discuss publicly.
The two officers shot during Tuesday's gunfight are expected to make a full recovery, he said. One remained in the hospital in stable condition, as of Wednesday, while the other was discharged, according to a Newark Police Department spokesperson.
"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," Gov. Phil Murphy tweeted after Howard's arrest.
One of the few details offered Wednesday concerned a civilian. Newark's public safety director, Fritz Frage, said the person left her car amid the shootout to drag one of the bleeding officers to safety, framing the heroic act as evidence of an increasing trust that has been slowly forged between the department and the communities it serves.
The fracas began Tuesday at about 1:15 p.m. when police responded to a resident's report that Howard, who was sought in connection with a separate shooting that occurred on Oct. 28, was holed up inside a building on Van Velsor Place, Baraka said while the defendant remained at large.
Officers eventually discovered Howard in the building's back lot as they were leaving, according to the mayor's previous statements. After they spoke with him briefly, an altercation ensued and Howard allegedly pulled a gun, shooting two of the officers at close range, Baraka has said.
The police quickly returned fire as Howard allegedly retreated inside the brick apartment complex. Throughout the night, SWAT units moved through the building, searching each apartment for Howard, who continued to evade capture until the next morning.
Before he was arrested, authorities considered Howard armed and dangerous, warning residents to stay in their homes as they searched for the fugitive, cooperating with the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service and the Secret Service
New Jersey has seen a decline in shootings this year, said Attorney General Matt Platkin, though he warned of a "steady drumbeat of violence" that includes not only the two officers shot during Tuesday's search, but four other victims shot in separate incidents that same night across the state.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Newark NJ shooting suspect arrested after police search
