2 police officers shot at hotel in Woodbridge, N.J. while searching for suspect, AG says
WOODBRIDGE TOWNSHIP, N.J. -- Two police officers were shot and wounded overnight at a hotel in Woodbridge Township.
New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said members of the Woodbridge Police Department and the NYPD were searching for a suspect in a homicide when they were shot. Their names were not immediately released.
A law enforcement source familiar with the investigation said the suspect came out of an elevator firing a weapon, and the officers returned fire, killing him.
The shooting happened at around midnight at the Raritan Hotel, which sits next to Royal Alberts Palace party venue, on King Georges Post Road. NYPD sources told CBS New York a shooting back in Manhattan near 105th and Second Avenue prompted the massive response. Woodbridge Township is located in Middlesex County, about 30 miles away.
Two officers -- one from each department -- were injured, but they are both said to be recovering. The NYPD officer was shot in the foot, and the Woodbridge officer was shot below his service vest on the right side of his hip, according to a law enforcement source. The Woodbridge officer underwent surgery and was listed in critical but stable condition.
"While we're grateful for the brave and swift actions taken by all who responded, we also remember that no police officer -- or any member of law enforcement -- should ever face this violence while performing their duties," Platkin said in a statement. "Officers take enormous risks on a daily basis to keep our communities safe. We must continue to work together to prevent and disrupt gun violence of every kind in New Jersey."
Police had come to the hotel after getting a hit on the suspect's license plate, Platkin said. Neighbors said they had no idea what was going on.
"That's all I saw was all the police officers, because I've got a bird's-eye view from upstairs. And I was like, 'Oh my god, what is going on here this morning?'" said resident Carol Richardson. "If they would have been blasting sirens, trust me, I would have heard them. But I heard absolutely nothing until I work up this morning."
The attorney general's office said it investigates whenever an officer fires their weapon. Authorities say footage of the shooting from police body cameras will be released as soon as the probe is complete.