Two of Essex County's finest were awarded bravery honors for an apprehension of several males who were wanted for a shooting incident that occurred on the Newark-Irvington Border.
According to officials, on July 24th, 2017, Officers Moises Vasquez of the Newark Police Department and Frederick McDuffie of Irvington Police were working Newark-Irvington border patrol.
Officials say at15th Avenue and South 19th Street, the officers heard multiple gunshots near their location.
Upon arriving at the scene of the gunshots, Vasquez observed a suspect in a vehicle reach out of the rear window with a handgun where he again fired his weapon.
As a result of the gunfire, the officers then observed a male victim running into a nearby store while holding his hand officials said.
The officers followed the suspects' vehicle and as the driver attempted to elude them, he struck the marked unit then collided with a double-parked vehicle.
Officials say the four occupants of the suspected vehicle bailed out and ran in different directions.
McDuffie and Vasquez gave immediate chase and with backup support, all four suspects were apprehended.
A search of the suspects' vehicle yielded a total of 4 handguns.
Officials say the male victim, who initially ran from the scene, was found to have a gunshot wound to his hand.
Throughout this encounter with multiple armed suspects, our officers demonstrated tremendous bravery, teamwork, dedication to duty and professionalism.
For their actions, The 200 Club of Essex County is proud to present Valor Awards to Officers Moises Vasquez and Frederick McDuffie.