The Attorney General’s Office is investigating a fatal police-involved shooting that occurred on May 24 in Jersey City. One male civilian sustained fatal injuries.
The decedent has been identified as Joseph Robertson, 59, of Jersey City.
According to the preliminary investigation, uniformed officers of the Jersey City Police Department responded to the intersection of Communipaw Avenue and West Side Avenue, Jersey City, at approximately 11:56 p.m. on May 24 in response to a 911 call of a domestic dispute involving a man with a gun.
During the encounter, Officer Omar Polanco of the Jersey City Police Department discharged his service weapon, fatally wounding Mr. Robertson.
Officers and emergency medical personnel rendered first aid to Mr. Robertson, and he was pronounced deceased at the scene at 12:19 a.m. A firearm was recovered near Mr. Robertson.
Sources told RLS Media that Robertson shot his wife multiple times in her chest before the officer fired at him to assist the woman. She’s currently in stable condition.
This investigation is being conducted pursuant to Attorney General Directive 2019-4, which implements the statutory requirement that the Attorney General’s Office investigates any death that occurs during an encounter with a law enforcement officer acting in the officer’s official capacity or while the decedent is in custody, and which establishes clear standards and procedures for conducting such investigations.
The investigation is ongoing, and no further information is being released at this time.