2 police officers shot in ambush while sitting in car in New Jersey
Camden NJ Aug 8 2018 Two police officers are in the hospital Tuesday night after being shot in an ambush in Camden, New Jersey, according to police.
The plain-clothes officers were sitting at a red light in the city when they were ambushed by a man who fired 10 to 25 shots into the vehicle, Camden County Police Chief Scott Thomson said.
The two officers, one man and one woman, according to Philadelphia ABC station WPVI, were taken to Cooper University Hospital for treatment and both are expected to survive.
The male officer was shot twice in the arm, while the female officer was hit in the hand, WPVI reported.
The suspect or suspects are still on the loose, Thomson said.
One of the officers was able to return fire, but it was unclear if the suspect was hit, police said.
Police stations across the country were celebrating National Night Out on Tuesday, a night intended to bring officers closer to the community through meet and greets and neighborhood activities.
Camden has struggled economically for years, and has a high crime rate as well. In 2012, the city had the highest rate of violent crime in the country, according to FBI data. However, the city has seen strides in recent years. After 67 murders in 2012, there were just 23 in 2017, its lowest number since 1988, according to NJ.com.
