A needle assisted jet injector and method for jet injecting medicament are disclosed. In one embodiment of the injector, the needle is retractably located within an injector nozzle assembly. Upon activation of the force generating source, a portion of the needle extends past the nozzle assembly and penetrates the outer layer of skin to deliver the medicament via jet injection to a deeper region. After activation, the needle retracts back into the nozzle assembly. In another embodiment, the needle is fixed to the end of the nozzle assembly. In both embodiments, the length of the portion of the needle that penetrates the skin is less than 5 mm.