KNOWLTON TOWNSHIP, NJ (Warren County) – The Attorney General’s Office is conducting an investigation of a fatal police shooting that occurred on November 7 in Knowlton Township.
One male civilian sustained fatal injuries and his identity was not released.
According to the preliminary investigation, members of the New Jersey State Police were dispatched to respond to a motor vehicle incident in the area of Starlite Hill Road. Shortly after 1:30 a.m., two troopers approached a vehicle which was stopped with the front end in a ditch, and in the vehicle were a driver and a dog, authorities said.
While troopers were attempting to communicate with the driver, the driver fired a weapon from within the vehicle and shot the dog. The troopers then fired their weapons, authorities said.
The driver was subsequently transported to Lehigh Valley Hospital in Pennsylvania and was pronounced dead shortly after 2:30 a.m., authorities said.
This investigation is being conducted pursuant to Attorney General Directive 2019-4, which implements the statutory requirement that the Attorney General’s Office conduct the investigation of 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 was released.
