newjerseynewsroom.com

BY ALICIA CRUZ

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

The Piscataway police officer who barricaded himself inside his Parkside Avenue home Sunday night and was fatally wounded, has been identified as Detective Sgt. David Powell, The Star-Ledger reported.

The results of an autopsy and ballistics tests are pending, but preliminary reports say Powell died of a gunshot wound. Until the ballistics report is complete, no one will know if Powell shot himself or one of the officers on the scene did.

According to CBS News, Middlesex County Prosecutor Bruce Kaplan said the incident began after  the 46-year-old Powell allegedly refused to respond to a report that he had violated a restraining order.

Officers cordoned off neighboring streets as the SWAT team hunkered down while investigators attempted to coax their fellow officer from the home. After Powell told investigators he had a hostage, officers deployed a robotic device into the residence, but determined no one else was present.

Kaplan said the incident turned violent after Powell stepped on to his front porch around 7 p.m., armed with a 9-millimeter submachine gun and fired several shots, forcing the officers to return fire.

Arbor Firefighter, Kenneth D’Annunzio, who said he was a friend of Powell's, was at the scene Sunday afternoon, after his department received a call around 3:15 p.m. requesting emergency personnel to the home. Within an hour, four shots were heard coming from inside the home.

The Piscataway Police Department, the Middlesex County SWAT team, Mayor Brian Wahler, and the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office were all present at the stand-off, which lasted well into the night.

Middlesex County SWAT team members, of which Powell was a member of, evacuated residents and surrounded the home for what became a 10-hour standoff with Powell, who D'Annunzio called "nice" and "easy going." According to The Record, Piscataway Police Chief Rick Ivone told Channel 12 News the incident was under control by 2 a.m.

A neighbor, who asked to remain anonymous, said this incident was not the first time Powell allegedly "flipped out," and he was not surprised the recent incident, The Star-Ledger reported.

Neighbor Wendy Richards told ABC News the incident itself did not surprise her, but she was surprised it took so long to reach this point.

“I really thought this would have blown up sooner,” said Richards. Other neighbors said the officer was going through a divorce with his second wife and was suffering with legal and emotional issues.

"I know the cop," neighbor Jamal Taha said. "He was such a nice guy."

Powell's mother, Diane Powell, echoed similar sentiments about her son to The Star-Ledger. She confirmed that her son had recently gone through a difficult divorce, and described the 20-year veteran as a good son and a loving father to children David Jr., 19, from his first marriage and Deana, 9, from his second.

Investigators have released few other details, but the home, with several bullets holes in the front door, remains a crime scene, as the investigation is ongoing. A call to the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Public Affairs Office was not returned.