A man was fatally shot in Vineland on Thursday by a detective who was part of an operation based out of Cape May County, officials said.
The Attorney General’s Shooting Response Team is investigating the shooting that happened at about 3:30 p.m. in the parking lot of the Just Four Wheels on South Delsea Drive, according to Attorney General Gurbir Grewal.
Detectives from the Cape May County Prosecutor's Office and Lower Township Police Department encountered the man as they were conducting a law enforcement operation at the scene, according to the preliminary investigation.
No details on the operation were released, including why Cape May County law enforcement was in Cumberland County.
The subject, who is not being identified at this time pending notification of relatives, was shot by one of the detectives. He was taken by ambulance to Inspira Medical Center in Vineland, where he was pronounced dead. None of the detectives was injured.
The investigation is ongoing and no further information is being released at this time.
In New Jersey, all investigations of police deadly force incidents are governed by the Attorney General's Independent Prosecutor Directive, issued in 2006 and strengthened in 2015, which establishes strict procedures for conducting such investigations.
It requires the Attorney General to review all deadly force investigations, and in some cases conduct them as well. In this case, the investigation is being conducted directly by the Attorney General’s Shooting Response Team. The directive further provides that unless the undisputed facts indicate the use of force was justified under the law, the circumstances of the incident must ultimately be presented to a grand jury, composed of 23 civilians, for its independent review.
