?Police cordon off a street near the scene of a shooting in Jersey City of New Jersey, the United States, Dec. 10, 2019. Six people have died, including a police officer, three civilians and two suspects, in a shootout on Tuesday in Jersey City. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)
WASHINGTON, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- Six people have died, including a police officer, three civilians and two suspects, in a shootout on Tuesday in Jersey City, northeastern U.S. state of New Jersey.
Most victims' bodies were found in a kosher grocery store in the southern portion of the city after the gunfire, local media reported.
Another two police officers and a civilian were wounded and in stable condition, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said on Twitter.
Jersey City Director of Public Safety James Shea said there was no indication the incident was terror-related.
Superintendent of Jersey City Schools Frank Walker said shortly after 12:30 p.m. local time that gunfire was apparently heard on the streets and about a dozen of schools in the area were immediately locked down. All students were safe, he added.
At least two shooters, a man and a woman, opened fire from a storefront at anyone who passed by, according to a report from the NJ.com website, a major provider of local news in New Jersey. The shooting touched off a firefight involving dozens of law enforcement officers.
Preliminary local media reports indicated that the shooting began when a police officer was shot dead when approaching one of the suspected shooters over an investigation of an earlier homicide. The suspects then fled in a truck and eventually ended up at the kosher supermarket.
The investigators believe that the store was chosen randomly, according to a New York Times report.
"Just received a briefing on the horrific shootout that took place in Jersey City, NJ," U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted. "Our thoughts & prayers are w/ the victims & their families during this very difficult & tragic time."
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the men and women of the Jersey City Police Department, especially with the officers shot during this standoff, and with the residents and schoolchildren currently under lockdown," Democratic Governor Phil Murphy said.
Jersey City is in northeastern New Jersey. Its eastern waterfront faces the Hudson River where it meets Upper New York Bay.