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The New Jersey police officer was shot before the suspects fled to a store.
A New Jersey police officer and three civilians have died after a gun battle was prompted by what is believed to have been a drug deal gone bad in Jersey City, officials said.
The slain officer was shot at the Bay View Cemetery allegedly by two suspects who fled to a Jewish supermarket at Wilkinson Avenue and Martin Luther King Dr. in Jersey City, police said.
When officers arrived to the second location, the suspects allegedly opened fire with long guns, police said.
The Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office confirmed that the officer later died after he was transported to a nearby hospital. Three civilians inside the supermarket were also killed and one other civilian was injured, officials said.
The suspects then retreated from the supermarket and allegedly continued to fire at responding officers. One other police officer was shot in the shoulder, and two more officers were injured by shrapnel, police said. They are all stable.
Both suspects were found dead inside the store, police said.
Several SWAT officers on the scene were seen barricading behind cars as several gunshots went off in the neighborhood, live video shows.
The heavy gunfire continued for more than an hour.
Nearby schools were placed on lock down until 4:15 p.m., according to New Jersey School District. All students are accounted for.
New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal said in a statement Tuesday afternoon that the situation “remains fluid.”
“Please keep the officers of the Jersey City Police Department in your thoughts and prayers as they work to resolve the situation,” Grewal said. “We remain, as always, extraordinarily grateful for their service and their sacrifice.”
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy has been briefed on the shootout, he said in a statement.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the men and women of the Jersey City Police Department, especially with the officers shot during this standoff, and with the residents and schoolchildren currently under lockdown,” Murphy said.
President Donald Trump is also monitoring the situation, according to the White House.
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