New Jersey law enforcement agents have captured the “armed and dangerous” suspect accused in the attempted murder of two Newark police officers on Tuesday afternoon.
Kendall Howard, 30, was taken into custody on Wednesday morning, according to the Essex County Sheriff’s Office, though additional details were not immediately released.
Howard, who went by the nickname “Book,” shot two Newark police officers on Tuesday while they were trying to question him near Chancellor Avenue and Van Velsor Place, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office said. Police were intensifying their manhunt on Wednesday.
Officers received a tip shortly before 1 p.m. Tuesday from a “concerned citizen” who thought they recognized a suspect from a previous shooting. Newark Public Safety Director Fritz G. Fragé said officers were working to identify the suspect and went into a local building to try to do so.
Photo shows Kendall “Book” Howard, wanted for the attempted murder of two Newark police officers.
(Essex County Prosecutor’s Office)
They were unsuccessful inside the building, but Howard approached them in the parking lot in the back of the building as they were leaving, Fragé and other officials said.
TWO NEW JERSEY POLICE OFFICERS SHOT, OFFICERS SEARCH DOOR-TO-DOOR FOR SUSPECT
The officers then tried to question the suspect, at which point “a violent interaction occurred,” Fragé said. The suspect shot the officers at a “close range” and the officers fired back, officials said. He then ran into the building and was allegedly able to escape the area.
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, right, arrives at the scene where two police officers were reported shot in Newark, New Jersey, on Tuesday.
(AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)
One officer suffered a gunshot wound to the face and shoulder and required surgery. The second officer was shot in the leg, police said. Both officers were rushed to a local hospital and were expected to survive.
Crime scene of shooting in Newark, New Jersey, on Tuesday.
(Emmett Jones/Fox News Digital)
Law enforcement personnel gather at the scene where two officers were reported shot in Newark, New Jersey, on Tuesday.
(AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
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Police described Howard, who goes by the name “Book,” as being 6-foot-3 inches tall, 180 to 200 pounds, and has brown eyes.
Howard, who police said has a criminal history, has been charged with attempted murder, unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, the prosecutor’s office said.
This is a developing news story. Please check back for updates.
