Exclusive | Murdered Newark cop Joseph Azcona was looking for teen who posted eventual murder weapon on Instagram less than hour before shooting
The New Jersey teen who allegedly gunned down a Newark detective and wounded another in a hail of 29 bullets caught their attention less than an hour before — when he flashed the eventual murder weapon live on Instagram, The Post has learned.The 14-year-old tough guy’s post meant to intimidate a rival, and set in motion the series of events that eventually led to the shocking March 7 slaying.The teen left home around 5:50 p.m.— 40 minutes before the shootout — to meet friends at the White Castle near Carteret Street and Broadway, according to his aunt, Hadiyah Sorey, who spoke to The Post this week from outside the three-family home she shares with her nephew and his mom, her twin, on North 9th Street.At White Castle, he posted the video of the ghost gun that law enforcement sources said was later used to kill Detective Joseph Azcona.“He was seen flashing, showing off the gun on Instagram live,” the source said.
The weapon was equipped with a conversion device that enabled it to fire multiple rounds with one pull of the trigger, the source said.The teen was firmly on police radar because of multiple arrests, including a robbery and “other serious crimes,” a law enforcement source said.The local cops were working with the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms, and they were already monitoring his social media when he posted the video.
“They look at the video, identify the location and they respond to the location in an unmarked police vehicle,” the source said.“They saw him walking with a group of kids,” the source continued.
“They call for backup, which is the other unmarked unit.They all get out of the car, identify themselves as police and the kid turns around and starts shooting right away.”Azcona, 26, never even made it out of his vehicle.The five-year veteran of the force suffered mortal wounds as he sat in the patrol car as other officers traded fire with the teen.“They didn’t know that [Azcona] was hit right away,” the s...