'Shooters had extra ammunition and pipe bombs in their truck' - Arutz Sheva Staff

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by Arutz Sheva Staff

Local man who responded to shooting in kosher store in Jersey City's small Hasidic community speaks with Arutz Sheva about scene of attack.

One of the first responders from a Jewish organization on the scene of Tuesday’s deadly shooting in a kosher grocery store in Jersey City said authorities had found some 300 rounds of ammunition and three pipe bombs in a van linked to the shooters.

Speaking with Arutz Sheva Wednesday morning, Isaac Wollner, a member of the local Chesed Shel Emes organization, said the shooting took place in the heart of Jersey City’s small Hasidic community, which Wollner said numbers around 80 to 90 families.

"I came here about an hour after the shootout finished. I was one of the first to respond to the command,” said Wollner.

"It's a very small community, there's about 80 to 90 families."

Wolner said the grocery store was in the center of the local Jewish community, next to schools and a local yeshiva.

Students in an adjoining unit found shelter in the basement, locking themselves in for hours until police had secured the store.

"About an hour after the whole shooting stopped, they allowed them [the students] to go out, to another beis medresh [yeshiva study hall] two blocks down."

"They only removed the bodies about an hour and a half to two hours ago [around midnight local time]. They removed the bodies from the building, and deemed the building unsafe, since they rammed the building with a big truck. They haven't let anybody in yet to do the cleanup."

"Right after everybody was released from the building and taken to another building, a lot of volunteers from many different organizations came together to support everyone with mental health and comforting,” continued Wollner.

"Chesed Shel Emes brought in a whole truckload of food, because this is the only grocery here, so a lot of people from stores, bakeries, sent food."

Wollner added that a U-Haul van found nearby contained some 300 rounds of ammunition and three pipe bombs.

"As far as if it was targeted or not, the investigation is ongoing. The mayor from Jersey City sent out a tweet that it was a targeted attack. He didn't specify that it was against Jews, but he did write 'targeted attack'."

"New York Mayor de Blasio did say that it was a targeted attack. The [attacker] had in his van 300 rounds of ammunition with three pipe bombs. So I don't know if he was targeting this small community...with 300 rounds of ammunition, but that's what he had in his truck."

Four people were killed Tuesday, aside from the shooters, after the assailants gunned down an undercover cop, identified as Joseph Seals, in a cemetery less than a mile away from the JC Kosher Supermarket – the sole kosher grocery store in Jersey City.

The two shooters opened fire inside the supermarket killing three civilians, including 33-year-old Leah Minda Ferencz, and 24-year-old Moshe Deutsch.

During a shootout later with police, both the suspects were killed. Three police officers were wounded, along with one civilian.

Police said they recovered a stolen U-Haul truck, inside of which they found an incendiary device that has been turned over to the bomb squad for examination.


Arutz Sheva Staff

Source: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/273016

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