The 14-year-old allegedly shot and killed Newark, New Jersey, and the boy allegedly shot and killed Detective Joseph Azkona with a barrage of 29 bullets, used a ghost gun with a device that transformed it into the “world's smallest machine gun.”
According to law enforcement sources, a machine gun conversion device, or “Glock Switch,” will squeeze the trigger once to allow multiple rounds to be fired.
Devices are illegal and inexpensive.
A kit that converts a semi-automatic weapon into a fully automated weapon can cost just $20.
The ghost gun itself is assembled from a kit or part, and is often sold online and can be difficult to handle with no serial number. Kits start at just $800.
“Individuals can build their own firearms in their own homes through ready-to-use kits,” the source said. “This process isn't difficult.”
The 26-year-old Azkona was hit last Friday night before he could get out of the police car at the corner of Carterlett Avenue and Broadway.
Azkona's partner, which had not been identified, was shot dead but survived. The unidentified teen was shot dead, survived and charged with murder.
Azkona was in the military for five years. His funeral was held at Sacred Heart at Cathedral Cathedral in Newark on Friday.
A letter the detective wrote to the local police academy in 2019 was read about why he wanted a career in law enforcement at his funeral.
“So I can help make the community I live in better. I have witnessed a lot of trouble in the area I grew up in,” he writes. “To help people in Newark, especially those who can't help themselves.
He continued. “Thirty years later, I know I've retired with a happy family and beautiful children. The day after I graduated from the Police Academy will be my best day.”
