N.J. officials ask for public’s help after gunfire, ‘targeted attack’ on 2 Camden police officers’ home
The shooting took place just before midnight Tuesday, when police say at least two suspects fired 10 shots at the officers' home while they and their newborn baby were inside.
Gov. Phil Murphy on Friday joined Camden officials in asking for the public’s help as authorities look for the people who fired 10 bullets at two county police officers' home late one nightthis week while the officers — a married couple — and their 10-day-old baby were inside.
Saying he was “shocked and disgusted by the despicable and cowardly actions,” Murphy urged anyone with information to call Camden County police.
“Thankfully, no one in the family was hurt,” Murphy said at a news conference in Trenton. “But now we need to find those responsible for this heinous act and bring them to justice.”
The shooting took place just before midnight Tuesday on the 2900 block of Clinton Street. Police say at least two people fired 10 shots at the house — with six bullets penetrating the structure and two going through the front door — while the officers and their newborn were on the second floor. No one was injured.
The officers were both born and raised in Camden. One has worked for the department for four years and the other for two. They were on family medical leave at the time of the shooting.
Police said detectives found that a 1998 dark purple Honda Odyssey with a temporary tag was in the area at the time of the shooting. On Thursday morning, they found the abandoned minivan a few blocks away, and towed it for further investigation.
While a motive remains unknown, Camden County Police Chief Joseph Wysocki said Thursday that the incident was a “targeted attack” on the house.
“It hurts," he said. "I have 400 officers, and everybody’s hurt at this point. There’s a lot of anxiety, I’m not going to let three people or four people change what’s going on here in Camden.”
On Thursday evening, the FBI and investigators from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives joined state and local authorities in the search and were canvassing the neighborhood for anyone who might have seen anything, said Mike Driscoll, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia office, which covers South Jersey.
“Obviously, anyone who opens fire on a private home is a threat,” he said Thursday. “Add to that the possibility that someone may have targeted law enforcement, it poses a true threat to the citizens of Camden.”
A reward of $20,000 for information leading to arrests has been offered by the FBI, ATF, and Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 218. Anyone with information on the shooting or vehicle can call Camden County police at 856-757-7042 or the Citizens' Crime Commission at 215-546-TIPS (-8477).
“Our police are not just the women and men who protect our communities,” Murphy said. “In many cases, they are members of the very communities where they serve. They are our friends. They are our neighbors.”
Staff writer Allison Steele contributed to this article.