A man using a gun stolen from the police said he was acting in the name of Islam when he ambushed an officer sitting in his marked cruiser at an intersection, firing more than a dozen shots at point-blank range, authorities said on Friday. Both the officer and suspect were wounded during the barrage of gunfire.
The suspect, 30-year-old Edward Archer, also pledged allegiance to the ISIS group when he was questioned after his arrest in the shooting late Thursday, police said.
Police Commissioner Richard Ross described the attack on Officer Jesse Hartnett, captured on a police surveillance camera, as an attempted assassination.
“He just came out of nowhere and started firing,” Ross said. “He just started firing with one aim and one aim only, to kill him.”
Ross said Archer told police he believed the department defends laws that are contrary to Islam. Police said there was no indication anyone else was involved. Though Archer “clearly gave us a motive,” Ross said it is now up to police to see what the evidence shows.
Edward Archer, AttackerI follow Allah. I pledge my allegiance to the Islamic State and that’s why I did what I did.
The gunman fired at least 13 shots toward Hartnett and eventually got up next to the car and reached in through the driver’s side window, investigators said.
Despite being seriously wounded, Hartnett got out of his car, chased the suspect and returned fire, wounding his attacker in the buttocks, police said. Other officers chased Archer and apprehended him.
Hartnett, 33, was shot three times in the arm and will require multiple surgeries, but was listed in stable condition. Archer was treated and handed over to the police.
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