NEWARK, N.J. (1010 WINS) — Two Newark police officers are in stable condition after being shot on Tuesday afternoon as they were serving a search warrant by a gunman perched on a rooftop, authorities said.
Gunfire broke out on Van Velsor Place and Chancellor Avenue around 2 p.m. The neighborhood remains on lockdown.
This incident is ongoing and developments continue to unfold. No arrests have been reported.
Video taken from news helicopters showed police officers in tactical gear staging on streets in the neighborhood and searching on top of and around the base of at least one multistory building. Police vehicles could be seen placed to block roads in the area.
Officers are going apartment to apartment in pursuit of the suspect.
Both officers are being treated at University Hospital. One officer was shot in the leg and had a small fracture, the other was in surgery after a bullet grazed his neck and hit his shoulders. Both are in stable condition.
State Assemblyman Ralph Caputo, who represents that area, told NJ.com that the shooter had a long gun that he fired from a roof of an apartment building in the South Ward.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said in a tweet that he is "closely monitoring" the "unfolding situation."
Witnesses reported hearing multiple shots, but it's unclear if the officers also returned fire.
Elijah Moore, who uses a wheelchair, was in his bedroom when he heard gunshots ring through his neighborhood. He immediately moved away from the window after hearing what he said were “a lot of shots,” possibly more than a dozen.
“I didn’t know what to do, if they were getting into my building,” said Moore, 33.
He turned on the television, where he learned more about the shooting. His panic subsided minutes later, he said, when he saw police swarming his neighborhood.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
This is a developing story.
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