BERKELEY – Officials praised a police officer who protected others by shooting an attacker, and then performed first aid to keep the attacker alive while medics arrived.
On August 1, 2021, Officer Warren Black and Special Officer II Andrew Picinic responded to a senior community. An elderly woman’s nephew was having a psychiatric episode and needed help. She told police he had been behaving erratically, wandering around neighbors’ yards. He had been physically abusive in the past, and she worried it could happen again.
When police arrived, the aunt was on the front porch and the nephew was inside.
The police had been to this home before. There was a history of issues with the nephew, Stephen M. Carroccia, who was 36 at the time. The dispatcher had told Black, Picinic, and a third officer that he had “pulled a knife out of a pile of laundry in the past.”
The officers tried to de-escalate Carroccia. Carroccia flinched at one of the officers as if he was going to attack, but only yelled in his face.
Police continued to try to calm the Carroccia down. The man pulled out a 16″ knife and came after Picinic. Officer Picinic stood between the attacker and his aunt. He managed to push him off and hit him with a taser.
Carroccia came back at Picinic with the knife when Black fired his gun at him. The three officers then performed first aid to keep him alive until the Berkeley Township First Aid Squad arrived.
Earlier this year, the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office determined that Black was justified in his use of force. They investigate when an officer fires their gun.
Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said his office concluded that the use of force was legally justified. Further, it was not necessary to present this matter to the Grand Jury because there were no material facts in dispute regarding the lawfulness of the use of force. The Attorney General’s Office agreed.
Retired Berkeley police officer Gerard Morey, left, gave Officer Warren Black an Honor Coin for his service. (Photo by Chris Lundy)
Police reported the events of that morning, and the prosecutor’s office did independent interviews with three neighbors, the woman who called 911, and the man who was shot. The officers were wearing body cameras.
Carroccia was indicted for Attempted Murder, Possession of Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose, Unlawful Possession of a Weapon, and Certain Persons Not to Have Weapons. He has been held in the Ocean County Jail since his arrest. Charges are merely accusations until proven in a court of law. There were no other injuries.
During a recent Township Council meeting, officials honored Black for his quick-thinking when he responded to a dangerous situation by the book.
“All too often, officers are viewed under a microscope for a split second decision. Here, he made the right choice and is a credit to the department,” Chief Kevin Santucci said.
The commendation from the mayor and council read “Their calm demeanor and dedication to their profession resulted in the subject surviving the ordeal. Had it not been for the quick thinking and reaction of Officers Black and Picinic, there is no doubt that death or serious bodily injury would have occurred to Officer Picinic and the elderly relative.”
It was Picinic’s first shift ever with the department. He has since taken a job as an officer for Plumsted. He was also commended by the township because he recognized the threat, reacted based on his training, and prevented anyone else (other than the subject) from being hurt or killed.
“Both officers acted swiftly and courageously to save their lives and the lives of others. Both officers saved this man’s life without any thought of what the man had just done. This brings credit to their professionalism and dedication to duty and we would like to see both recognized,” the commendation read.
Also during the meeting, retired Berkeley police officer Gerard Morey spontaneously gave Black an Honor Coin produced for the memory of Werner Foerster, a New Jersey State Trooper who was murdered by Black Liberation Army activists in 1973.
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