BURLINGTON COUNTY: Prosecutor’s Office: Burlington City policeman returns fire, kills shooter

   MOUNT HOLLY — Burlington County Prosecutor Robert Bernardi and Burlington City Police Chief Anthony Wallace announced on Sept. 18 that a man who shot at a city police patrolman late the night before along Route 130 was fatally struck when the officer returned fire.
   ”The officer stopped to talk to the suspect at 11:58 p.m. Sept. 18,” Joel Bewley told the Register-News on Wednesday. Mr. Bewley is the public information officer for the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office.
   According to the preliminary investigation, the officer was on patrol just before midnight when he stopped and attempted to speak with to Jason Bunnell, 32.
   The Prosecutor’s Office described Mr. Bunnell as a “suspicious person” who was “walking near a car dealership in the 1200 block of Route 130 south near the border with Burlington Township.”
   According to a press release from Prosecutor’s Office on the case, Mr. Bunnell then fled on foot, and the officer ran after him.
   The chase led to an overgrown lot near the dealership where the suspect fired a shot at the officer, the release said. The officer, who was not hit, returned fire, fatally striking Mr. Bunnell.
   ”His last known legal address was Mount Laurel, but he was not necessarily living there recently,” Mr. Bewley said of Mr. Bunnell.
   The suspect’s gun was recovered, according to the Prosecutor’s Office.
   The officer was evaluated and released from an area hospital, the release said, and he will be placed on administrative leave while the shooting is investigated. His name will not be released at this time.
   Mr. Bewley said, “The police officer’s name will likely be released when a determination is made on whether the shooting complied with the Attorney General’s guidelines of the use of deadly force.”
   The investigation is being conducted by detectives from the Burlington City Police Department, the Burlington Township Police Department and the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office Crime Scene Unit, Major Crimes Unit and Special Investigations Unit.
   As directed under the Attorney General’s guidelines, the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office will review the investigation once it has been completed to determine whether the officer’s use of force was appropriate.