KEARNY –
Two men have been charged in connection with an alleged shoplifting and subsequent shooting of a suspect by a police officer that took place the Walmart in Kearny last Friday, Sept. 16.
According to an account provided by Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez, shortly after 8 a.m. Friday, a uniformed officer discharged his weapon, striking Ramon L. Martinez, 43, of Newark, in an “extremity.”
Martinez was subsequently taken to an area hospital where he was listed in stable condition, according to Suarez.
The officer involved was also taken to an area hospital for observation and later released, the prosecutor said.
Martinez has been charged with eluding, receiving stolen property and shoplifting.
An alleged accomplice, Diego C. Dosreis, 28, also of Newark, has been charged with receiving stolen property.
The shooting is being investigated by the prosecutor’s office, “which is standard practice for police-involved shootings,” according to Suarez.
No further information, including what type of merchandise had allegedly been taken from the Walmart, was released by the prosecutor.
But Kearny Mayor Alberto Santos told The Observer that, according to what he has learned about the incident, a uniformed on-duty Kearny police officer happened to be near the Walmart when a police radio alert about the incident was broadcast.
Santos said the officer then responded to the Walmart where he reportedly spotted a vehicle driven by Martinez – reportedly fleeing the crime scene – in the Walmart parking lot.
At that point, Santos said, the officer reportedly fired his weapon at the fleeing suspect.
According to one police source familiar with the case, the officer fired three times. One bullet hit the suspect’s right arm and two shots pierced his left arm, the source said.
Nonetheless, the suspect still managed to drive away from the scene, the source said.
At some time a bit later in the day, however, police – reportedly aided by getting a description of the getaway car and the suspect – tracked Martinez to a location in Newark where, according to the mayor, he was attempting to get his vehicle repaired.
The suspect didn’t go to a hospital for treatment of his wounds because he feared that the hospital would – as required by law – report his gunshot injuries to the police, Santos said.
It was apparently at this time, after officers corralled him, that Martinez was taken to an area hospital.
It could not be readily learned how the second suspect is tied to the crime.
Both suspects are presumed to be in Hudson County Jail, pending court action.
The officer involved in the shooting has been placed on administrative leave pending a completion of the prosecutor’s review of the matter. The officer is reportedly a KPD veteran with prior military service.
