The New Jersey Attorney General’s Office has identified the Jersey City man who opened fire on police cars last week, as well as the officer who fatally shot him.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
According to the preliminary investigation, on September 5th, Jersey City Police Sgt. Ricardo Reyes, along with other uniformed officers, exited separate patrol vehicles and encountered Steven B. Sanchez, 26, on the sidewalk of John F. Kennedy Boulevard near the intersection of Clinton Avenue.
During the ensuing encounter, Reyes exchanged fire with Sanchez, who was struck and injured. A weapon, later determined to be a compressed air pistol, was recovered.
Sanchez was transported to the Jersey City Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at approximately 8:45 p.m., while Reyes sustained a non-life-threatening injury, according to state authorities.
The investigation is ongoing and no further information is being released at this time.
Jersey City spokeswoman Kimberly Wallace-Scalcione said last week that at approximately 1:20 p.m., Jersey City police s came under fire while driving marked police cars southbound on John F. Kennedy Boulevard near Clinton Avenue.
The armed man, today revealed to be Sanchez, fired multiple rounds, striking both police vehicles.
While under fire, a police sergeant, now known to be Reyes, exited the vehicle and shot the gunman, who was then transported to the hospital.
No civilians were injured during the incident and none of the police officers who were fired upon were struck. They were taken to the local hospital for evaluation and treatment for trauma, Wallace-Scalcione added.
Came under fire? Vehicles were struck? Okay initially I get they have to assume it’s a real weapon. But after multiple rounds being fired and accidentally striking the cars are you telling me that the officers didn’t realize something wasnt adding up. The sounds of that vs an actual weapon and sound of actual live rounds hitting a vehicle are COMPLETELY and UNMISTAKABLY different. A regular person would even be suspicious you’re telling me a trained officer missed that completely? I feel like they are using the language they are using because they have to justify killing the man. Every description in the article leads you to believe they had an actual firefight with the man except at the end when they throw in the obligatory statement it was an air compressed gun. The guy had a suicide by cop death wish and he knew JCPD would shoot first ask questions later.