Gunman who opened fire inside a New Jersey police station worked for the Dept of Corrections
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<p>Gloucester Township Police Chief Harry Earle identified the gunman who opened fire in his police station as Eddie Jones, III. (Alan Tu/WHYY)</p>
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<p>Crime scene tape lines the border of the back parking lot of the Gloucester Twp. Police Department. (Alan Tu/WHYY)</p>
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<p>This is where Eddie Jones III first arrived at the Gloucester Twp. Police Station. (Alan Tu/WHYY)</p>
The gunman who shot and wounded three New Jersey police officers this morning worked for the New Jersey Department of Corrections.
Gloucester Township Police Chief Harry Earle said at a news conference this afternoon Eddie Jones II of Willingboro, N.J. worked in the criminal justice system.”Officers learned during the course of the field investigation that Mr. Jones is employed by the New Jersey Department of Corrections, as a civilian communications officer and not a sworn corrections officer,” he said.
Earle says Jones was being processed inside the Gloucester Township police station when he overpowered a female officer and grabbed her gun and began firing, wounding three officers. The officers returned fire and killing Jones. S
Officer Ruth Burns, a 1-year veteran of the department, was shot in the foot.
Sgt. Kevin Thyne, 8 year veteran of the department, suffered minor injuries after one bullet grazed his chin and a second hit his utility belt.
Sgt. James Garber, a 13-year veteran of the department, took one shot to the chest which was stopped by his body armor and one to the abdomen. He was listed in stable condition at Cooper Medical Center in Camden.
An investigation into the shootings is being conducted by the Camden County Prosecutors Office and the Gloucester Township Police Investigations Bureau.