Newark SWAT Member Shot In Bulletproof Vest During Police Raid: Cops

NEWARK, NJ — A 15-year police veteran with the Newark SWAT was shot in his bulletproof vest during a raid at a Goodwin Avenue home on Saturday, suffering minor injuries. There was a 2-year-old present in the home at the time of the shooting, authorities say.

Members of the Newark Police Department and its SWAT executed a search warrant around 6 a.m. at a basement apartment on the 100 block of Goodwin Avenue, according to the Newark Department of Public Safety.

As members of the SWAT breached the door leading to the basement, someone fired a shot from the inside of the home, striking an officer in his bulletproof vest, police said.

The injured officers’ team members immediately arrested the suspected shooter, James Dennard, 22, authorities stated.

Emergency responders transported the wounded officer to University Hospital, where he was treated for minor injuries, police said.

Police recovered a handgun, marijuana scale and “packaging materials” from the residence, authorities said.

Police charged Dennard with Unlawful Possession of a Weapon, Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose, Possession of Prohibited Ammunition (extended magazine). Additional charges are pending, authorities said.

“I commend the officers from the Emergency Services SWAT for the way they handled the situation, especially because a 2-year-old child was in the house,” Newark Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose said.

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File Photo: Newark Department of Public Safety