After killing a police detective at a nearby cemetery, the shooters took refuge at the JC Kosher supermarket
A deadly shootout at a New Jersey kosher supermarket may have been a premeditated “targeted” attack, authorities said on Wednesday.
“Based on our initial investigation [which is ongoing] we now believe the active shooters targeted the location they attacked,” Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop said.
Initially, investigators believed that the JC Kosher Supermarket in Jersey City was not deliberately targeted. Police have yet to disclose why they have changed their assessment.
✔@StevenFulop
Based on our initial investigation (which is ongoing) we now believe the active shooters targeted the location they attacked. Due to an excess of caution the community may see additional police resources in the days/weeks ahead. We have no indication there are any further threats
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The hours-long gun battle, which left one police officer, three bystanders and the two suspected shooters dead, began midday at a cemetery where the officer was gunned down. The officer was later identified as Detective Joseph Seals, 40.
The incident continued to unfold at the JC Kosher Supermarket about a mile away, where five more bodies were found.
“I know the entire Jersey City community stands together with the Jewish Community during these challenging times,” Fulop said in a statement.
Jersey City Police Chief Michael Kelly said the suspects moved continuously for at least four hours, leading to the deployment of hundreds of police from New Jersey and New York, including tactical officers armed with rifles and wearing olive-green fatigues and helmets. .
Asked to confirm whether the officer was indeed probing a murder, Kelly said it is “being looked into.”
The suspects then took refuge in a grocery store where firing continued and the five bodies were later found.
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