NEWARK, N.J. – A man accused of shooting two Newark police officers was arrested Wednesday morning after a daylong search involving multiple agencies, authorities said.
Kendall Howard, 30, was charged with two counts of attempted murder plus weapons offenses on Wednesday. He was accused Tuesday afternoon of shooting the two officers at close range, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office said. Authorities did not provide additional information on what led up to his arrest on Wednesday.
The officers, who were not publicly identified, were investigating a report that Howard, wanted for a separate shooting on Oct. 28, was holed up inside a city apartment building, Mayor Ras Baraka said at a Tuesday news conference.
Officers found Howard in the parking lot as they were leaving the complex, Baraka said. Police spoke to him, and an altercation ensued. Howard pulled out a gun and shot two officers at close range, Baraka said.
Police quickly returned fire as the man went inside the apartment complex, he said. SWAT units Tuesday night searched each apartment for Howard.
The mayor said one officer was shot in the leg while the other was shot near the neck and shoulder, a wound that required surgery. Both are in stable condition and expected to survive.
Officers from a number of local, county, state and federal agencies swarmed the area around the apartment building, which was cordoned off for about a half-mile in each direction.
A New Jersey State Police helicopter hovered overhead for much of the afternoon as authorities continued their search.
Elijah Moore was in his bedroom when he heard gunshots ring through his neighborhood. He immediately moved away from the window after hearing what he said were “a lot of shots,” possibly more than a dozen.
“I didn’t know what to do if they were getting into my building,” said Moore, 33.
Contributing: The Associated Press