Update: "Within the past half-hour, they’ve caught the guy—the bad guy," New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy declared Wednesday in reference to the man suspected of shooting two police officers on Tuesday. Kendall Howard, 30, was taken into custody late morning, reports NJ.com. SWAT team members descended on a Newark apartment building, removed Howard, and placed him in a police vehicle just after 11am. Our story from earlier today follows:
New Jersey police are hunting an "armed and dangerous" man accused of shooting two Newark police officers on Tuesday. Authorities say Kendall Howard, 30, opened fire on two officers who tried to question him about a Friday shooting. Tipped to a reported sighting of the suspect, the officers encountered Howard as they exited an apartment building near Chancellor Avenue and Van Velsor Place after 1pm, per NBC News. "There was a brief altercation with the gentleman, [who] pulled a gun out, shot two police officers at close range," said Newark Mayor Ras Baraka.
One officer was shot with a bullet that grazed his neck and entered his shoulder, per NJ.com. He's listed in stable condition at Newark's University Hospital after surgery, per NBC. The other officer, also in stable condition at the hospital, was shot in the leg. Police initially believed they had the suspect surrounded. But they say he somehow escaped the scene, leaving behind a bag of personal items, which he was reportedly seen carrying in surveillance footage tied to the earlier shooting, per WNBC. Agencies including the FBI and ATF are now assisting with the case.
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"I am grateful to those who are working around the clock to ensure that the perpetrator of this heinous crime is apprehended and brought to justice," New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy tweeted late Tuesday. Howard—charged with two counts of attempted murder, unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose—remains at large of as Wednesday morning. He's described as Black and 6'3". "He should be considered armed and dangerous," the Essex County Prosecutor's Office said, per the New York Post. "Anyone seeing the suspect should call 911 immediately." (More manhunt stories.)
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