A shooting that left six people dead Tuesday in New Jersey was a “targeted attack” on a kosher market, Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop said at a press conference Wednesday morning.
“At the time of the incident yesterday, it was difficult to understand intent, and there’s still a lot of questions around that,” Fulop said. “But after reviewing the CCTV cameras on the Jersey City side, we do feel comfortable that it was a targeted attack on the Jewish kosher deli across the street here.”
It is not yet known if the attack specifically targeted Jews, Jersey City Director of Public Safety James Shea said.
“The motives are still part of the investigation,” Shea said.
According to Shea, footage shows the suspects parking the van they were driving, exiting the vehicle with firearms, and immediately enter the deli and begin firing.
“There were multiple other people on the streets,” he said. “So there were many other targets available to them that they bypassed to attack that place. So clearly that was their target, and they intended to harm people inside.”
Fulop declined to comment on whether the shooting is being investigated as a hate crime. He did not disclose the identities of the victims or the suspects.
One officer, identified as Detective Joseph Seals, was fatally shot at a nearby cemetery around the time of the attack. Officials on Tuesday said they believed Seals was attempting to engage the two armed suspects before he was killed.
The grocery store shooting broke out near schools and stores, and police believe more would have been killed had police not swiftly responded with gunfire.
“With the amount of ammunition they had, we have to assume they would have continued attacking human beings if we hadn’t been there,” Shea said.
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- A Dramatic Shootout Left Six People Dead, Including Two Suspects And A Police OfficerStephanie K. Baer · Dec. 10, 2019
Julia Reinstein is a reporter for BuzzFeed News and is based in New York.
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