The New Jersey Attorney General’s Office is investigating a fatal shooting by police the evening of Nov. 20that left a 28-year-old resident dead.
by Charles W. Kim, Packet Media Group
The New Jersey Attorney General’s Office is investigating a fatal shooting by police the evening of Nov. 20that left a 28-year-old resident dead.
According to the AG’s office, township police were called to 8 Hannah Drive in Dayton at about 6:30 p.m. to respond to a domestic disturbance.
When they arrived, Renee Murnieks reportedly told police that her son, Andrew, was “schizophrenic” and had not taken his medication.
Police had been called to the residence for prior incidents involving the man, according to officials.
As police approached the door of the home, Mr. Murnieks allegedly opened the front door and raised a large knife over his head in a threatening manner.
According to the press release, the officers shut the door, retreated and contacted the Middlesex County Special Operations Response Team.
The team responded to the scene and took command of the incident, police said.
A crisis negotiator from the team tried to resolve the situation during the next several hours, and the team decided to enter the residence around 10:30 p.m., according to police.
Mr. Murnieks then allegedly assaulted one of the police officers from the team, who then fired his service weapon once, striking Mr. Murnieks in the chest.
Mr. Murnieks was treated at the scene by paramedics and taken to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick where he was pronounced dead at 11:35 p.m., according to police.
According to police, under an Attorney General directive, the attorney general’s Shooting Response Team, made up of deputy attorneys general and detectives of the Division of Criminal Justice and detectives of the State Police Major Crime Unit, were dispatched to the scene to handle investigations of shootings involving state law enforcement officers or county SWAT teams.
That office is handling the case and said it will not release any further information while the investigation is ongoing.
Hannah Drive resident Richard Lorenzo said he witnessed part of the standoff last night.
”Last night, the cops surrounded the house in the early evening,” Mr. Lorenzo said. “Someone had barricaded himself inside.”
Mr. Lorenzo said he later learned that Mr. Murnieks had been shot and killed during the incident.
”I did not know him, but saw him walking around the neighborhood,” Mr. Lorenzo said.
He said he was not aware of police coming to the home prior to Wednesday night.