2 arrests made in fatal shooting of Newark police detective
2 arrests made in fatal shooting of Newark police detective
From NJ.com
Quote:
PATERSON — Authorities have arrested two suspects in connection with the slaying Sunday night of Newark Police detective Michael Morgan, 32, according to law enforcement officials.
The suspects were captured at 3 a.m. in Philadelphia. They have not been formally charged, but they have been arrested in connection with Morgan's killing, officials said.
Paterson police would not comment, and instead said they may release information about the arrests this afternoon.
Morgan, 32, was the last officer to leave Sunrise Gentleman's Lounge on Straight Street after a birthday party for another Newark cop on Sunday night, authorities said. When Morgan and a dancer from the club walked outside about 3 a.m., they were approached by a man in his 20s who tried to rob them at gunpoint, police have said.
Morgan tried to draw his weapon to stop the robbery, Newark Police Director Samuel DeMaio said, but he was shot once in the torso while trying to defend himself and the woman. He was taken to St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center in Paterson, less than a block away, where he died about an hour later, police said. The dancer was not injured.
Paterson Police Lt. Ron Humphrey would not say where the suspects in two grainy images released Tuesday were captured, but he did say the pictures were taken on Monday. While the images show two people, Humphrey said police still believe there was only one gunman directly involved in Morgan's death.
Two black and white photos show the car, believed to be a 1985 blue Buick Regal, driving along an unidentified street and pulling into a parking lot. The color pictures of the two men show one of them wearing a half-zipped hooded sweatshirt with a blue hat tilted to the right. The other is wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt that's mostly closed.
The Essex County and Newark Crimestoppers programs, along with the state's largest police union, have offered $25,000 in reward money for any information leading to the arrest of Morgan's killer.
Morgan was recently promoted to Newark's Special Investigations Unit and was remembered by co-workers and friends as a dedicated officer and family man. He will be buried Saturday after a funeral at St. Lucy's Parish in Newark, said Jimmy Stewart, vice president of Newark's Fraternal Order of Police, who said officers were pleased to see progress in the investigation.
"We have the full confidence that this task force is going to apprehend this suspect sooner rather than later," he said. "We're happy to see these photographs put out there so the citizens can contribute to this investigation."
