Cops who were first on scene of Jersey City shooting are promoted to detective

A month after the shooting in Jersey City that took the lives of six people, three police officers who were first to arrive on the scene were recognized for their bravery.

Officers Raymond Sanchez, Mariela Fernandez and Kendric Jackson were promoted to detective in a ceremony at City Hall on Wednesday.

On Dec. 10, David Anderson and Francine Graham opened fire in a kosher grocery store on Martin Luther King Drive after shooting and killing Jersey City Detective Joseph Seals at nearby Bayview Cemetery.

Store owner Leah Minda Ferencz, her cousin Moshe Hersch Deutsch, store employee Douglas Miguel Rodriguez Barzola and the two suspects were killed in the ensuing gunbattle between police and the shooters.

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Sanchez, Fernandez and Jackson were working on assigned posts near the store when they responded to reports of gunfire. Sanchez was shot in the shoulder and Fernandez was struck in the hand.

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Family, friends, and fellow police officers watched as each officer received a detective badge from Mayor Steven Fulop during the short ceremony. The three were not made available for comment afterward.

Fulop credited the officers with trapping the shooters in the store and preventing the situation from getting a lot worse.

"On the CCTV cameras, you see bravery, you see heroism, and you see them hear the gunshots and running immediately towards that gunfire," Fulop said.

Ricardo Kaulessar is a local reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: kaulessar@northjersey.com Twitter: @ricardokaul