MIDDLE TOWNSHIP — The Attorney General’s Office is actively investigating a deadly officer-involved shooting that occurred Friday morning, Sept. 25, within Middle Township.
A Philadelphia new station had a helicopter over the scene of an apparent shooting near the Walmart store in Rio Grande around 10:30 a.m.
Per standard protocol for incidents involving the death of an individual during an encounter with law-enforcement officers, the scene has been secured, and a thorough investigation is under way, according to the Attorney General’s Office, which report no ongoing threat to the public. No further details regarding the condition of those involved or the circumstances leading to the incident are available at this time.
Members of the media and the public were asked to avoid active investigation areas. All media inquiries concerning this incident should be directed to the Attorney General’s Communications Office at OAGPress@njoag.gov.
The Attorney General’s Office is investigating the circumstances of this death.
Middle Township Mayor Christopher Leusner urged citizens to be patient during the investigation.
“Earlier today, Middle Township police officers were involved in a shooting in our community. I recognize how deeply an event like this affects everyone involved, including the individual and their family, our officers, and our residents, and our thoughts are with all of them,” he wrote in a press release sent to the media Friday afternoon.
“Under New Jersey law, this incident is being independently investigated by the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office, Fatal Police Encounters Division. Middle Township is cooperating fully. To protect the integrity of that investigation, all information about the incident, including the identities of those involved and any video, will be released at the appropriate time by the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office, not by the township,” Leusner wrote.
“I know residents will have questions,” he added. “I ask everyone to be patient, to rely on official information, and to avoid spreading unconfirmed accounts. Anyone with information about the incident should contact the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office Division of Criminal Justice at 1-866-TIPS-4CJ (1-866-847-7425).”
A 2019 statute, N.J.S.A. 52:17B-107(a)(2), requires that the Attorney General’s Office conduct all investigations when a person’s death occurs during an encounter with a law enforcement officer acting in the officer’s official capacity or while the decedent is in custody.
The results of all such investigations must be presented to a grand jury to determine if the evidence supports the return of an indictment against the involved officer or officers. The purpose of this law is for the public to have confidence that the investigation is done fully, fairly, impartially, and independently of any potential bias.
