Mercer Times

The Attorney General’s Office has released recordings from a police body-worn camera and two 911 calls related to a fatal officer-involved shooting on December 5, 2023, in Manchester Township, Ocean County, New Jersey. The decedent has been identified as Shannon Rose, 39, of Manchester.

The incident is currently under investigation by the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA). The release of these recordings follows policies established by the Attorney General’s Office in 2019 to ensure fair, impartial, and transparent investigations of fatal police encounters. Investigators have met with representatives of Mr. Rose’s family to review the recordings.

Preliminary information indicates that on December 5, 2023, at approximately 8:28 p.m., members of the Manchester Township Police Department responded to a 911 call reporting an individual in distress who was later identified as Mr. Rose and who possessed a firearm. Officers located Mr. Rose in a wooded area around 9:10 p.m. on Elizabeth Avenue in Manchester Township and attempted to negotiate his surrender. Despite repeated requests to drop the weapon, Mr. Rose did not comply. Subsequently, Manchester Police Officers Nicholas Greenwood and Michael Anderson discharged their firearms, striking Mr. Rose. A firearm was recovered near Mr. Rose, who was later pronounced deceased.

N.J.S.A. 52:17B-107(a)(2) mandates that the Attorney General’s Office investigate any death occurring during an encounter with law enforcement officers acting in their official capacity or while the decedent is in custody. All such investigations must be presented to a grand jury to determine if there is sufficient evidence for an indictment against the involved officers.

The investigation remains ongoing, and no further information is being released at this time.