Two Essex County sheriff's deputies shot and killed a suspected drug dealer after he allegedly approached them with a loaded weapon.
Authorities say the plain-clothes deputies were conducting a narcotics investigation when they approached 22-year-old Jose Quinonez of Newark in a city building around 12:30 p.m. Wednesday. After a brief foot chase, Quinonez allegedly reached for a gun and the deputies fired a total of two shots.
The names of the deputies were not released. They were taken to the hospital to be evaluated.
The shooting is under investigation by the prosecutor's office, which is standard policy in police-involved shootings.
The Star-Ledger reports some residents claimed the deputies hit the man with their vehicle and shot him while he was on the ground. Authorities declined comment on the allegations.