Fairfield, NJ Police Officer shot, critically injured

Fairfield, NJ The officer's metallic silver 4-door sedan sits abandoned in a warehouse parking lot, less than a mile away from police headquarters.

What happened to the person driving it, has sent Fairfield Police into overdrive.

"It's the first time in my 23 years in Fairfield that we've had an officer shot. So it's hitting us all pretty hard. All of our officers are here, they all came in voluntarily, including the ones that are not off," said Steven A. Gutkin, Fairfield Deputy Chief of Police.

The three year veteran was on his way to clock in for his 12-hour evening shift around 6:15 Saturday night.

Investigators are not saying why he may have pulled over on Fairfield Road and Hollywood Road.

A nearby resident called 911 to report shots fired, and that's when officers found out one of their own was down.

"When the officers from the Fairfield police arrived there, that's when they found the officer lying in the street, he had been shot several times," explained Anthony Ambrose, Chief of Dectectives for the Essex Co. Prosecutor's Office

The officer was given medical treatment, right where he went down. Investigators believe he may have fired off 13 rounds before his attackers got away.

"We were able to get a description of the vehicle from him, and a description of the two suspects believed to be wanted for questioning, that's was about it," said Gutkin.

A $10,000 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest.

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