This Is My New Jersey

This is not going to be my usual post about how wonderful my beloved state is. Today I need to take a moment to remember, and pray for, Newark Detective Joseph Azcona.

When I headed to bed Friday night, I had just heard about a shootout that took place in Newark and that two officers were seriously injured. Saturday morning when I turned on the news, I learned Detective Joseph Azcona succumbed to his injuries and a second officer was in critical condition. Multiple individuals were taken into custody. A 14-year-old teenager was charged with murder, attempted murder, and weapons possession.

Yes, you read that correctly. A 14-year-old killed one officer and tried to kill another.

In a short period of time, a teenager destroyed multiple families, the brothers and sisters of these officers, and the community of Newark.

Like many others, I immediately thought, “where does a 14-year-old get a gun?” “Why would a 14-year-old shoot at the police?” “Where are his parents?”

“Why?”

These officers were working to take illegal guns off the streets. They were trying to improve the community. And this individual took all that away.

Detective Azcona was the youngest of four boys and had been on the police force in Newark for five years. Now his parents have to do what no parent should do; bury their child.

Yesterday, officers from all over the state assembled at University Hospital to salute Detective Azcona for his service and escorted him to the funeral parlor that will take care of his final arrangements.

The shooter’s name has not been released, as he is a minor. Now I’m sorry, but the moment he pulled the trigger, he was no longer a minor. He was a criminal. He killed a police officer. He is not a “young boy,” or “child,” as some news outlets have reported. And I will not refer to him in that way. This was the classic Bible story of good versus evil. Sadly, this time evil won. Pure evil killed an officer.

I don’t care what his name is. I just care that he is held accountable. And I hope he is charged as an adult and when he turns 18, he isn’t released from juvenile detention to go home. He needs to then go to an adult prison where he spends the rest of his life.

Now, I know what you are thinking. It’s not very Christian of me. Well, I’m going to admit my faults as a human and say he needs to be punished. Severely. This isn’t a kid who swiped a pack of gum from the candy store. This is a criminal who committed murder.

Detective Azcona represented the best of New Jersey and sadly his light has gone out.

My prayers and deepest condolences are with the family of Detective Azcona, his partner still in the hospital, his fellow officers, and the community he was trying to make safe. Heaven gained an angel early Saturday morning. And his name is Joseph.