A 14-year-old boy has been charged with the murder of a cop during an alleged shooting spree that sent officers fleeing for their lives.
The “hero” officer, detective Joseph Azcona, 26, died in hospital from gun shot wounds, and a second cop who was shot is recovering.
Azcona was on an illegal firearms sting in Newark, New Jersey, when he was tragically killed.
Emanuel Miranda, Newark’s Director of Public Safety, said Azcona was a “true hero”.
Theodore Stephens, Essex Country Prosecutor, said on Saturday: “Five-year veteran Joseph Azcona was shot before he even had the opportunity to leave his police car.”
The deadly shots were delivered at around 6:30pm on Friday night near a White Castle and a McDonald’s on Carteret Street and Broadway.
Witnesses described chaotic scenes, with cops fleeing for their lives down busy streets before gunfire rang out.
More than a dozen shots were heard in the volley that hit the two officers.
Azcona’s colleague was rushed to hospital but is expected to survive, the authorities said.
Witness Randy Mejia told WCBS-TV: “It sounded like a car accident, and it went ‘boom, boom, boom.'”
Newark mayor Ras Baraka said the shooter showed “heinous, callous disregard for humanity”.
He added that the brave officers had entered the sting knowing that “grave danger was possible”.
Five people from the scene were arrested – with the 14-year-old among them.
The youth has been charged with murder, attempted murder and possession of illegal weapons, Miranda said.
The teen was also shot at the scene and treated in hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.
Stevens did not identify the suspect or any of the others arrested.
He said one gun had been collected from the scene and was being examined – along with the officers’ guns – to determine which weapons were discharged and how many times.
Azcona was promoted two years ago to the rank of detective.
Miranda said he had been assigned to an intelligence unit that was the “best of the best”.
Azcona and the other wounded officer were rushed to University Hospital in Newark, where the cop was pronounced dead at 2:30am.
The hero was surrounded by his mother, father and brother in those hours, Miranda said.
Officials did not reveal the identity of the surviving officer.
The city’s mayor vented his frustration that a teen could get hold of a gun – and fatally shoot a police officer.
He said: “We just have to do a better job. I have to do a better job. Our families have to do a better job.
“The community has to do a better job at making sure that our children are not handling guns in the street, shooting at police officers.
“This is not a police problem. This is our problem. This is our collective problem.”