The Attorney General’s Office today released a 911 call and video footage from a body-worn camera related to a fatal police-involved shooting that occurred on September 14, in Mantua, N.J.
The decedent has been identified as Charles Sharp III, 49, who lived at the address where the shooting occurred.
The fatal shooting remains under investigation by the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA).
The recordings are being released in response to an OPRA request and pursuant to policies established by the Attorney General’s Office in 2019 that are designed to promote the fair, impartial, and transparent investigation of fatal police encounters.
Investigators met today with Mr. Sharp’s family and their attorney to review the recordings.
According to the preliminary investigation, two uniformed officers of the Mantua Township Police Department responded to Mr. Sharp’s residence on Elm Avenue at approximately 1:35 a.m. on September 14 in response to a 911 call from Mr. Sharp, who reported that several persons were trespassing on his property, including a person armed with a gun.
The preliminary investigation found, when the police officers arrived, they encountered Mr. Sharp outside the house.
During the encounter, one officer fired his service weapon, fatally wounding Mr. Sharp. A detailed replica of a .45-caliber semi-automatic handgun was found near Mr. Sharp.
According to the investigation, officers and medical personnel rendered first aid to Mr. Sharp, who was transported to Jefferson Washington Township Hospital, where he was pronounced deceased at 2:49 a.m.
The recordings are posted online: Click here for recordings.
The investigation is ongoing and no further information is being released at this time.
This investigation is being conducted pursuant to a state law enacted in January 2019 (P.L. 2019, c.1), which requires that the Attorney General’s Office conduct all investigations of a person’s 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.
Separately, the Independent Prosecutor Directive, which was issued in December 2019, outlines a 10-step process for conducting these investigations.
The Directive establishes clear procedures governing such investigations to ensure that they are conducted in a full, impartial and transparent manner.
Under both state law and the Directive, when the entire investigation is complete, the case will be presented to a grand jury, typically consisting of 16 to 23 citizens, to make the ultimate decision regarding whether criminal charges will be filed.