A Newark, New Jersey, police detective investigating a person suspected of possessing illegal firearms was fatally shot Friday night before he could exit his vehicle, and a second officer was wounded, according to authorities.
Due to his age, the charges against a 14-year-old include murder, attempted murder, and weapons violations. Authorities are detaining and questioning five people.
According to police, one gun was seized at the scene, and all suspects are currently being interviewed.
Officer Joseph Azcona, 26, a five-year department veteran, was declared dead at University Medical Center in Newark early Saturday. Azcona was surrounded by his mother, father, and five brothers, officials stated at a press briefing on Saturday morning.
“He was shot before he even had the opportunity to leave his police car,” Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens said during a news conference Saturday morning.
“The thing to remember primarily is that the officers involved are heroes, everyday heroes that work the streets,” Stephens said.
The second officer wounded in the shooting is expected to recover, according to officials.
According to Stephens, Azcona’s team was investigating persons suspected of possessing illegal weapons at the time of the shootings.
“Shots were exchanged upon the interaction with the police and those individuals,” the prosecutor said.
“Our heart is heavy right now. Our agency is hurting,” Emanuel Miranda, Newark’s director of public safety, said during the news conference.
The gunshot took place around 6:30 p.m. in Newark, near Broadway and Carteret streets.
A few blocks from the Passaic River, there’s an elementary school, a church, and a fast-food restaurant.
On Friday night, Azcona was part of an intelligence unit that collaborated with federal investigators “to capture an individual who we believe had a weapon,” according to Stephens.
Azcona had been with that intelligence team for the past two years.
“They were doing their job getting intelligence about guns on the street,” Newark Mayor Ras Baraka said. “Danger lived there. They went anyway.”
He described the shooting as “heinous, callous disregard for humanity” and mentioned the suspected gunman’s age.
The 14-year-old is being hospitalized for non-life-threatening injuries, according to authorities.