Kevin Hagen/AP
Two armed assailants deliberately targeted a kosher supermarket during a rampage in New Jersey Tuesday, according to the mayor of Jersey City. The shooting spree left six people dead, including a police officer and the suspects.
Last night after extensive review of our CCTV system it has now become clear from the cameras that these two individuals targeted the Kosher grocery location on MLK Dr – the 2 JCPD officers that were on a foot post one block away immediately responded/engaged
— Steven Fulop (@StevenFulop) December 11, 2019
The carnage reportedly began when the assailants, who were suspects in a different homicide, shot and killed a detective near a cemetery in Jersey City. The suspects subsequently attacked the grocery store. According to the Associated Press, law enforcement officials aren’t saying whether the shooters specifically intended to kill Jewish people, but the news organization reported that two of the victims—including the woman who owned the store with her husband—were Orthodox Jews.
The New York Times cited an anonymous law enforcement official as saying that one of the gunmen had posted anti-Semitic messages online, and that investigators found a “manifesto-style note” in the shooters’ van that did not provide a clear motive for the crimes. A live pipe bomb was also found in the van, according to the source.
This is a developing story and will be updated as new information emerges.
