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| Law enforcement personnel gather at the scene where two officers were reported shot, Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2022, in Newark, New Jersey. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) |
New Jersey investigators are urging the public to be on the lookout for the "armed and dangerous" man accused in the attempted murder of two Newark police officers on Tuesday afternoon.
Kendall Howard, 30, shot two Newark Police officers on Tuesday while they were trying to question him near Chancellor Avenue and Van Velsor Place, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office said. Police were intensifying their manhunt on Wednesday.
Officers received a tip shortly before 1 p.m. Tuesday from "concerned citizen" who thought they recognized a suspect from a previous shooting. Newark Public Safety Director Fritz G. Fragé said officers were working to identify the suspect and went into a local building to try to do so.
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| Photo shows Kendall "Book" Howard, wanted for the attempted murder of two Newark police officers (Essex County Prosecutors' Office) |
They were unsuccessful inside the building, but Howard approached them in the parking lot in the back of the building as they were leaving, Fragé and other officials said.
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| Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, right, arrives to the scene where two police officers were reported shot, Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2022, in Newark, New Jersey. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez) |
The officers then tried to question the suspect, at which point "a violent interaction occurred," Fragé said. The suspect shot the officers at a "close range" and the officers fired back, officials said. He then ran into the building and was allegedly able to escape the area.
One officer suffered a gunshot wound to the face and shoulder and required surgery. The second officer was shot in the leg, police said. Both officers were rushed to a local hospital and were expected to survive.
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| Crime scene of shooting in Newark, New Jersey, on Nov. 1, 2022. (Emmett Jones) |
Howard, who police said has a criminal history, remains on the loose, but has been charged with attempted murder, unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, the prosecutor’s office said.
Police have described Howard, who goes by the name "Book," as being 6-foot-3 inches tall, 180 to 200 pounds, and brown eyes. They are asking anyone with information related to Howard’s whereabouts to call 911.