Newark – Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn A. Murray announced today that an Essex County Grand Jury has declined to indict three Irvington police officers in connection with the fatal shooting of Abdul Kamal, 30, of Irvington. “This is truly a tragic case but the grand jury has concluded that there is no probable cause to return an indictment. We respect that decision. This ends our role in this case,’’ said Acting Prosecutor Murray. Kamal was shot during the early morning hours of Nov. 11, 2013. Even though there was a restraining order barring all contact with his estranged wife, Kamal went to her Stanley Street home at about 2 a.m. and broke into her apartment. The wife fled through a back door and called 911. When officers arrived they tried unsuccessfully to reason with Kamal as he stood with his right hand in his pocket. Kamal became increasingly agitated and refused to take his hands out of his pocket. The officers used pepper spray to subdue Kamal but he still would not comply with their commands. As he began to remove his hand from his pocket, while verbally threatening to shoot the police, three of the six officers at the scene discharged their weapons. Fifteen shots were fired. Autopsy results show 13 hit Kamal. He died at the scene. After he was subdued the officers realized Kamal was not armed. He had a cell phone in his pocket. The names of the officers are not being released because of concern for their safety. They are currently on active duty with the Irvington Police Department. At the time of the shooting, one officer had 18 years on the job, another had 9 years, and a third had almost 4 years. The action by the grand jury ends the criminal investigation by the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office.
Grand Jury Decline to Indict Three Irvington Police Officers in Shooting
Irvington Township
New Jersey