LAKEWOOD, N.J. A gunman opened fire early Thursday on officers who burst into a home in central New Jersey during a drug and gun raid, wounding four officers, one critically, while spraying bullets from atop a staircase, the authorities said.
Patrolman Jonathan Wilson of the Lakewood Police Department was shot in the face and was in critical but stable condition at a hospital. Officials were hopeful that he would survive, but said he was in danger of losing an eye. He is in good spirits, and he s communicating, said Marlene Lynch Ford, the Ocean County prosecutor.
She identified the gunman as Jamie Gonzalez, 39, and said he had been shot many times and was in critical condition.
Lt. Greg Meyer was shot in the foot, and was in good condition at the hospital after surgery. Two other Lakewood officers, Sgt. Louis Sasso and Patrolman Leonard Nieves Sr. were treated and released.
Those participating in the raid included officers from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the New Jersey State Police, the Ocean County prosecutor s office and the Lakewood Police Department. Armed with a search warrant that did not require them to knock first, the team entered a single-family split-level home in Lakewood Township, about 40 miles southeast of Trenton, at about 2:25 a.m., officials said.
The officers knocked down the door with a battering ram and were going upstairs when Mr. Gonzalez started shooting, the authorities said.
The house was searched for evidence, but Ms. Ford would not say whether any drugs or additional weapons had been found, nor would she describe the underlying drug and weapons case.
Mr. Gonzalez was charged with four counts of attempted murder, as well as possession of illegal weapons and receiving stolen property.
The .357 Magnum used to shoot the officers had been reported stolen, Ms. Ford said.
A second man who was in the house was also in custody, but had not been charged as of Thursday evening. The first assistant Ocean County prosecutor, Ronald DeLigny, said it did not appear that the other man had been involved in the shooting, but added that he might be implicated in the guns and drugs case.
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New Jersey SWAT Members Shot in House Raid