LACEY – State authorities have released police body camera video and radio transmissions from the fatal shooting of a township woman who officers said approached them with a knife following a reported medical emergency.
Susanne Clarke, 55, of Lacey Township, was killed during the March 16 encounter at her Hemlock Drive home in the Lanoka Harbor section of the township.
The New Jersey Attorney General’s Office of Public Integrity and Accountability released footage from four officers’ body-worn cameras as part of its continuing investigation. Clarke’s family was offered the opportunity to view the recordings before they were made public.
Authorities said four Lacey Township police officers responded shortly after 2 a.m. after Clarke called 911 and reported that she believed she was having a heart attack.
When officers arrived, Clarke spoke to them through a window but refused requests to come to the front door. She repeatedly told officers to leave her alone, according to the preliminary investigation.
Police remained outside the home while attempting to check on her condition. Emergency medical personnel also responded. Authorities said officers could hear Clarke yelling from inside and saw her moving around the residence and lying on the floor.
About 30 minutes after police arrived, Officer Dallas Gant looked through a rear sliding-glass door and reported seeing a dog that appeared to have suffered a knife wound.
Officers tried unsuccessfully to force open the front door. Gant then began climbing through a side window but quickly backed out after seeing Clarke enter the room with a knife, authorities said.
Clarke later came through the rear sliding door while holding the weapon and moved toward several officers, according to the Attorney General’s Office.
Gant and another officer ordered her to drop the knife. Gant then fired several rounds from his service weapon, striking Clarke.
Officers provided medical assistance, but Clarke was pronounced dead at the scene at 3:24 a.m. Investigators recovered a knife.
The recordings and video footage can be viewed at njoag.box.com/s/t059mdzkldska43t4ip7g4s6a9y4u43k
New Jersey law requires the Attorney General’s Office to investigate deaths that occur during encounters with law enforcement officers acting in an official capacity. The evidence must be presented to a grand jury, which will determine whether criminal charges should be filed against any officer involved.
The investigation remains active.
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