Two Jersey City police officers wounded in a shootout Thursday remained in intensive care on Friday and three other wounded officers were recovering as police continued to sort out the aftermath of the melee.
What started with police acting on a tip about an attempted robbery and shooting near the Pulaski Skyway turned into a violent exchange of gunfire that left a male and female suspect dead. The shootout took place on Reed Street near Bergen Avenue, about a mile south from Journal Square.
According to Jersey City police spokesperson Lt. Edgar Martinez, the two police officers critically injured were Marc DiNardo, 37, a 10-year veteran who was shot in the face, and Michael Camacho, 25, a five-year veteran who was shot in the neck. DiNardo was in cardiac arrest when he arrived at the Jersey City Medical Center. Both DiNardo and Camacho were still in intensive care as of press time.
The other three wounded officers were Frank Molina, Jr., a 15-year veteran; Marc Lavelle, a 20-year veteran; and Dennis Mitchell, a seven-year Port Authority police officer. All three were treated for non-life-threatening wounds.
The two suspects killed were Hussan Shakur, 32, and Amanda Anderson, 22, of Reed Street.
Began after surveillance
Police Director Samuel Jefferson said at around 5:15 a.m. Thursday, the police were setting up surveillance near an apartment building on 24 Reed St. They had information that a car used in the shooting of an auto garage worker last month was parked in front of the building and usually was moved for street sweepers between 5:45 and 6 a.m.
When the suspects emerged from the building, Shakur pulled a pump shotgun from under the robe he was wearing and started shooting, Jefferson said. Lavelle was hit.
Shakur and Anderson then ran back into the apartment building, Jefferson said. Backup from the Emergency Services Unit (ESU) were called in. After the suspects kept cops at bay for nearly 90 minutes and refusing to surrender, ESU officers Camacho, DiNardo, Molina and Port Authority officer Mitchell broke down Shakur’s door.
That’s when police say Shakur shot at them. In the exchange of gunfire, both Shakur and Anderson were killed, and four officers were wounded.
A tip led the police to stake out Reed Street.
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“Those officers did their jobs properly, especially in making sure everyone was evacuated from the building, and they put their lives on the line, which makes me proud of them,” Jefferson said.
Suspects wanted for earlier shooting
Jefferson said Shakur and Anderson both have been identified by police as the suspects in a shooting of a 43-year-old man at his workplace on Broadway in Jersey City near the Pulaski Skyway on June 18.
The two allegedly tried to rob the victim when he was opening up his workplace around 6:30 a.m. The man was shot in the stomach and arm, and was admitted in critical condition at Jersey City Medical Center. No information was available last week on his current status.
The police at the time were looking for two African-American males. One was described as standing 5-foot-9 to 6 feet, weighing 190-200 pounds, and wearing a light brown warm-up suit. His accomplice stood 5-foot-7 to 5-foot-8 inches and wore a black hooded sweat shirt. They fled the scene in a red, four-door Ford Focus, circa 2003-2007.
Jefferson said tips on the attempted robbery came into the West District Detectives Office and the Major Case Unit office, including the tip that led officers to Reed Street.
Investigators were still on the scene late Thursday night . One elderly woman who lives a block from the crime scene said the shooting was not a surprise. She said there have been problems in that building going back 30 years.
Ricardo Kaulessar can be reached at rkaulessar@hudsonrreporter.com.