A 14-year-old has been charged in connection with the fatal shooting of Newark, New Jersey police detective Joseph Azcona, 26, and the wounding of another officer during an illegal firearms investigation.
“Five-year veteran Joseph Azcona was shot before he even had the opportunity to leave his police car,” said Essex County Prosecutor Theodore Stephens at a news conference on Saturday, per the New York Post.
The shooting occurred around 6:30 pm near Carteret Street and Broadway, where Azcona and other officers were investigating whether a group, including the teenage suspect, was in possession of illegal firearms.
"Shots were exchanged upon the interaction with the police and those individuals, and unfortunately two officers and one suspect were hit by gunfire,” Stephens said.
According to a report from PIX11, sources reported that the teenager fired a total of 29 shots at officers. Law enforcement recovered an automatic weapon that the suspect allegedly used.
The second officer sustained non-life-threatening injuries, officials said. Authorities have not released details about the suspect, including his name.
Azcona, who served as a detective for two years, was unmarried and had no children. He died at University Hospital with his parents and several siblings by his side.
“We need to focus laser sharp on trying to find the reason why this 14-year-old was in the situation that he was — had a gun, felt he could use it against police,” Stephens added. “That’s a crazy situation. That’s one that cannot go unchecked."
