Jersey City Police Chief Thomas Comey at a Thursday press conference defended the actions of officers involved in the shootout at a Reed Street apartment building on July 16 that saw five officers wounded with one fatality, and two suspects killed.
“If you want to second-guess anyone, second-guess me,” said Comey in response to a WABC-TV report that brought up questions of possible “tactical errors” by officers in their handling of the early morning incident. Comey also said during the press conference that the police are conducting an internal review of police procedure of the incident.
“Of what I have reviewed [so far], I am proud of the effort that this department put forward in what was a crisis, high-stress situation,” Comey said.
The Police Department also screened video of the early stages of the shootout, captured by two city-operated closed-circuit TV cameras, earlier than scheduled due to the television report.
One video clip shows the gunman, Hassian Hosendove, in a robe standing on Reed Street around 5 a.m. on July 16 with his girlfriend, Amanda Anderson, with what looks like the shotgun hidden under his robe.
The next clip shows Hosendove about a minute spotting an unmarked police car and taking out the shotgun and firing three times at the car, striking Police Officer Marc Lavelle in the leg. Then, the video shows Hosendove running in his sandals toward the apartment building.
A third clip shows police outside the apartment building at around 6:30 a.m. and then entering the building. – Ricardo Kaulessar
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