The mother of the police officer who was killed in a shooting in New Jersey is speaking out after his death.
Authorities identified Newark police detective Joseph Azcona as the officer who was allegedly shot and killed by a 14-year-old while on duty on Friday, March 7, during a press conference a day later. (A second police officer was also shot and remains in the hospital.)
Azcona’s mother, Martha Vargas, recalled her nephew calling her from the hospital, where Azcona was brought before being pronounced dead, to tell her about her son, though she said she didn’t initially realize the extent of his injuries.
“I thought it was something simple,” she told The New York Post. “When I went to the hospital, he was like that. They shot him in the head.”
“That was my baby. He always said he wanted to be a cop when he was little, and when he grew up, he took the test,” Vargas continued, adding, “He was always saying he wasn’t in danger.”
Police tape at a crime scene (stock image).
Getty
Azcona and the second officer were working as part of a team of detectives and federal agents who were investigating illegal weapons when they were involved in a shoot-out between police and a large group on March 7, authorities said during their March 8 press conference.
Emanuel Miranda, Newark’s director of public safety, said that Azcona “didn’t even get a chance to step out of the vehicle before he was struck.”
The 14-year-old suspect was arrested and charged with murder, attempted murder and possession of illegal weapons tied to the incident, Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stevens II said.
“It’s crazy. It’s crazy. A young kid,” Vargas told the Post, reacting to her son’s alleged killer. “Sometimes you can blame the parents, but sometimes you can’t. You don’t know what they’re doing. You cannot blame them.”
She added, “I don’t blame the parents, believe me. You know how kids are when they get with other kids.”
Detective Joseph Azcona of the Newark Police Department.
New Jersey State Police/Facebook
Multiple other suspects were also brought into police custody over the incident, authorities said.
Essex County Sheriff Amir Jones said in a statement on March 8, per ABC News, “Law enforcement officers leave their loved ones every day and put their lives on the line for the safety and wellbeing of our communities.”
“The egregious acts that took place last night have left a family, a community and the brotherhood and sisterhood of law enforcement devastated and with a void that can never be filled,” he continued.
