Both officers were in stable condition late Tuesday at University Hospital in Newark — one was shot in the leg and the other was grazed in the neck before a bullet lodged in his shoulder, officials said. The alleged shooter — identified by police as Kendall Howard, 30, of East Orange — fled after officers returned fire. He was still at large after an extensive search by local, state and federal authorities that partially shut down part of the state’s largest city on Tuesday, officials said. Howard is considered armed and dangerous, and anyone who sees him should call 911 immediately, authorities said. He is about 6-foot-3, 190 pounds with brown eyes and a tattoo on his neck that read “FEATHER,” officials said. Howard is charged with two counts of attempted murder and two counts of weapons offenses, the Essex County District Attorney’s Office said. On Wednesday morning, Essex County Sheriff’s Crime Stoppers said it was offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. The United States Marshalls Service added an additional $5,000 to push the total reward to $5,000. The incident began to unfold around 1 a.m. when a citizen called Newark police about a flyer the department had put out about a shooting Friday, authorities said. 15 2 Newark police officers shot by gunman, officials say (PHOTOS) The caller reported seeing the person in the flyer at an apartment building near the intersection of Van Velsor Place and Chancellor Avenue. Two uniformed officers arrived at the building and located Howard, officials said. “They stopped him to talk to him and identify him and there was a violent interaction,” Acting Essex County District Attorney Theodore Stevens told reporters. Kendall Howard is charged with attempted murder after shooting two Newark police officers on Tuesday. Still wanted. Essex County Prosecutor’s Office After a brief struggle, Howard allegedly pulled out a gun and shot the two officers at close range, authorities said. Streets in the South Ward neighborhood were blocked off for hours and residents were ordered out of the building where the shooting occurred. Schools in the area were briefly closed, but were dismissed on time, officials said. The massive police presence caused confusion and conflicting initial reports, including that a gunman on a rooftop fired several rounds into the street and hit officers. This turned out to be untrue. In the Friday incident that first prompted police to call off the flier, a man fired shots into the air around 11 a.m. while walking east on the 100 block of Hansbury Avenue. Police searched the area and found a shell. The man was wearing ripped blue jeans, white trainers and a gray hooded sweatshirt with a BMW logo on the front. He carried a blue bag over his shoulder. Anyone with information on Howard’s whereabouts is asked to contact the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office Tip Line at 1-877-847-7432 or the Newark Police Department at 1-877-695-8477. Calls will remain confidential. Our journalism needs your support. Sign up today at NJ.com. NJ Advance Media staff writers SP Sullivan, Noah Cohen, Matt Stanmyre and Richard Cowen contributed to this report.
