2 Camden shootings wound officer, woman

A Camden County police officer was struck by a bullet fragment after a suspect shot at him Wednesday night, authorities said.

Around 11:30 p.m., the officer spotted a suspicious vehicle along Kenwood Avenue in the Parkside section of Camden, police said. The car stopped and several people stepped out as the officer's cruiser approached, authorities said. One of the suspects then shot at the police vehicle, hitting it several times, police said.

The officer took cover and did not return fire before trying to go after the suspects, police said. He was later taken to Cooper University Hospital with a bullet fragment in an arm.

Investigators were still searching for suspects Thursday afternoon, by which time the officer had been released from Cooper.

"We will not rest until we apprehend the individual and his coconspirators who attempted to kill a police officer," Camden County Police Chief Scott Thomson said.

The officer, who was not immediately identified, was on a "special detail" when he spotted the vehicle, police said. Dan Keashen, a Camden County spokesman, said the officer was patrolling the area after recent shootings.

It was the first time an officer of the Camden County Police Department was hit by gunfire since the force replaced the former Camden City department in May 2013.

In an unrelated incident, around 1:30 a.m. Thursday a woman was shot while her car was stopped in the middle of 27th and Mickle Streets in East Camden. She was taken to Cooper in critical condition, authorities said. They did not provide more details.