six to eight times and they didn't kill him? Was this on purpose or bad shots. This guy is extremely lucky, head shots with no kill.

His guilty plea: I tried to murder cops
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
By MICHAELANGELO CONTE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

A Jersey City man pleaded guilty yesterday to smuggling a gun into the West District Police Station last year and opening fire on cops, authorities said.

Corey Harley, 28, pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted murder for shooting at Officer Patrick Kirwin and Sgt. Tim Harmon in the Communipaw Avenue station on June 15, 2005, Hudson County Assistant Prosecutor Stephanie Davis Elson said yesterday.

Harley also pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated assault on Police Officers Michael Meyers and John Bennett, and to one count of possession of a gun by a felon.

He faces up to 25 years in prison when sentenced on Jan. 25, Davis Elson said.

Kirwin was shot in the back, but his bullet-proof vest stopped the bullet; Harmon was struck in belly, but the bullet passed through his body without hitting vital organs. Meyers and Bennett were unharmed.

Police Chief Tom Comey thanked the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office as well as the officers caught in the shooting that night.

"The officers involved that evening, under adverse conditions, acted heroically and with the spirit of the Jersey City Police Department," Comey said. "I'm pleased that the officers who were injured have recovered and are back on duty."

That night, Harley's girlfriend and her three children were at the police station getting a restraining order against him after he'd showed up at her home.

Two officers were sent to her home, where they found Harley and searched him - but then allowed him to go back inside, unsupervised, to get his belongings, officials said. It's thought he picked up a gun at that time, officials said.

He was questioned at the station and led to a hold room by Harmon and Kirwin, who told him he was going to be arrested. At that point, police said, the officers told him to turn over his personal items, and Harley pulled out the gun and opened fire.

A number of officers returned fire, hitting Harley six to eight times, in the cheek, ear and extremities, official said. He spent weeks in the hospital before being released to the medical ward of the Hudson County jail in Kearny.

Comey said the Police Department's Internal Affairs unit conducted an investigation into the incident and determined that no officers violated the rules and regulations of the department leading to the gun being smuggled into the station.

The incident now is used as a training situation at the Jersey City Police Academy for recruits and for in-service training for officers in the Street Survival Class, Comey said.