Jersey City shootout kills officer, civilians

Police do not believe the gun battle that led to multiple deaths in Jersey City, N.J., on Tuesday was an act of terror. Gunfire rang out for about an hour in the early afternoon in an area with a kosher supermarket, a Catholic school, a hair salon, and other shops. Doctors pronounced a police officer dead at the hospital, and authorities found additional casualties, including civilians, inside the supermarket. Preliminary reports said six people died in the violence.

What set off the shooting? Officials have not released much information about the suspects, victims, or reason for the bloodshed other than to say it doesn’t appear to be terror-related. As the shooting unfolded, police blocked off the area, and bystanders pressed against barriers to take videos with their cellphones. Some of them whooped when they heard shots fired.