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A state grand jury Friday voted to take no action in connection with the death of Donald Hoffman, 27, who was fatally shot by a member of the Atlantic County Emergency Response Team during an armed standoff at his Hammonton home on April 26.
The shooting was investigated by the state Attorney General's Shooting Response Team, made up of representatives from the state Division of Criminal Justice and the State Police Major Crime Unit. The grand jury heard evidence developed through the team's investigation.
The investigation revealed that Hoffman was fatally shot by a member of the Emergency Response Team after he pointed a handgun at the officer and refused to obey repeated commands to drop the weapon. The shooting happened shortly after 4 a.m. in Hoffman's residence on 13th Street where he lived with his mother. The shooting followed a 12-hour standoff.
The events started the previous afternoon, when Hoffman, who suffered from schizophrenia, pointed a handgun at an emergency medical technician outside of the Deptford Emergency Services Building on Cooper Street and stole his cell phone.
Hoffman fled by car, and police pursued him to his residence, where he entered the house, armed with the handgun, about 5 p.m. Police secured the perimeter of the house, and the Hammonton and Atlantic County SWAT teams were called to the scene.
A police negotiator communicated on and off with Hoffman throughout the night to try to get him to surrender peacefully. In the early morning hours, canisters of pepper spray were fired into the house, but Hoffman continued to ignore commands to leave the building.
When members of the Emergency Response Team entered the house shortly after 4 a.m., Hoffman pointed a gun at one of them, refusing repeated orders to drop the gun, included a warning from the officer that he would fire his weapon if Hoffman did not drop his gun. The officer subsequently fired, striking Hoffman in the chest and fatally wounding him. Two rounds were fired with a single pull of the trigger, both striking Hoffman.
The Attorney General's office did not identify the officer.
— TOM HESTER SR., NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
