Stephan Finkel Director of Legislative Affairs | New Jersey Office of the Attorney General
Stephan Finkel Director of Legislative Affairs | New Jersey Office of the Attorney General
TRENTON — The Attorney General’s Office today released footage from body-worn and surveillance cameras related to a fatal police-involved shooting on January 24, 2024, in South Brunswick, Middlesex County. The decedent was previously identified as Shamar Leggette, 41, of Brooklyn, New York.
The fatal shooting is under investigation by the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA). The recordings are being released pursuant to policies established by the Attorney General’s Office in 2019 to promote the fair, impartial, and transparent investigation of fatal police encounters. Investigators previously met with the family of Mr. Leggette to provide them an opportunity to review the videos before release.
According to the preliminary investigation, on January 24, 2024, at approximately 2:05 p.m., members of the U.S. Marshals Service New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force, assisting the New York office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, arrived at a motel on Route 1 South in the township’s Monmouth Junction section to execute an arrest warrant for a suspect being sought in connection with several felony investigations.
At approximately 2:47 p.m., the individual to be arrested, Mr. Leggette, exited a motel room and exchanged gunfire with officers in the motel’s parking lot. Eight members of the Task Force fired their weapons at Mr. Leggette. One additional officer deployed non-lethal force prior to the fatal altercation. Mr. Leggette was pronounced deceased at approximately 4:29 p.m. Authorities recovered two firearms near the decedent. No officers were hit during the shooting.
A 2019 law requires the Attorney General’s Office to conduct investigations of deaths that occur during encounters with a law enforcement officer acting in an official capacity or while the decedent is in custody. It mandates that all such investigations be presented to a grand jury to determine if evidence supports returning an indictment against any involved officers.
The investigation is ongoing and no further information is being released at this time.
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