"It was an attempt to murder two Trenton police officers," said Patrolman Drew Astbury, a local police union representative.
He was talking about the continuing search for a suspect who opened fire on a police cruiser late Monday night along Stuyvesant Ave. The bullets missed one officer's head by inches.
Since then, a massive and heavily-armed law enforcement presence has descended on the city's west ward. Police are stopping and questioning dozens of people in an effort to disrupt gang and drug activity and develop information about the shooter.
"I can't really describe in words how bad we want this individual off the street because this time we were lucky. Next time we may not be so lucky," Astbury said.
Officers Michael Runyon and Gene Polumbo, who were in the crusier when at least 5 shots were fired, were not injured.
But police union officials say the targeted attack speaks volumes about how gun violence and crime are threatening the city.
"If they're going to attempt to murder two Trenton Police officers in uniform, in a marked police vehicle what are they going to try to do to the average citizen?" said Astbury.
"I've seen shooting in broad daylight and it's real scary," said Trenton resident Diane Vincent.
Some residents applaud the heavy police presence, which began early Tuesday with search dogs going through various buildings near the shooting scene.
"These bad guys made a massive mistake by taking on police and this area's going to be cleaned up," community activist Juan Martinez told Action News. "Shaking the tree, pulling them over, checking for warrants. This is how you take on the bad guys."
But one local minister says he thinks machinegun-toting SWAT teams are harrassing residents.
"I'm just watching innocent people being victimized," said Minister Lee Ingram of the Universal Life Ministry.
"When we had all these murders here in this neighborhood we couldn't get a polcie presence out here. Now all of a sudden one of them gets shot at and it's Afghanistan out here," he said.
Trenton Police won't comment on the investigation. But the Police Benevolent Association is offering a $25,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest of the shooter.
