Lakewood NJ

Lakewood NJ

LAKEWOOD, N.J. — A gunman opened fire early Thursday on a SWAT team that burst into a home during a drug and gun raid, wounding four officiers while spraying bullets from atop a staircase, authorities said. One officer was critically wounded. Lakewood Patrolman Jonathan Wilson was shot in the face during the raid, and was in critical but stable condition at a local hospital. Authorities said they were cautiously optimistic he would survive despite being grievously wounded.

"He is in good spirits, and he's communicating," said Ocean County Prosecutor Marlene Lynch Ford. Lt. Greg Meyer was shot in the foot, and was in good condition at the hospital with bone injuries. Two other Lakewood officers, Sgt. Louis Sasso and Patrolman Leonard Nieves Sr. were shot in their bulletproof vests, sustaining only minor injuries despite being struck in the chest. They were treated and released from the hospital. The suspect, Jamie Gonzalez, 39, was in critical condition after suffering numerous gunshot wounds as police returned fire, Ford said.

A second person who was inside the house when the shooting erupted also was in custody, but had not been charged as of Thursday morning. First Assistant Prosecutor Ronald DeLigny said it does not appear the second person was involved in the shooting, but may be implicated in the underlying guns and drugs case that brought the multi-agency task force to the house in the first place. At 2:25 a.m., the task force consisting of officers from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, New Jersey State Police, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office and Lakewood police executed a "no-knock" search warrant at the single family home.