NJ Attorney General Releases Video of Fatal Lacey Police Shooting

The NJ  Attorney General’s Office released radio recordings and video footage on Tuesday from four police body-worn cameras recording during a March 16 fatal police-involved shooting in the Lanoka Harbor section of Lacey Township.

The woman who died during the encounter was Susanne Clarke, 55, of Lacey.

The Police Account of the Shooting

According to the preliminary investigation, shortly after 2 a.m., four Lacey Township police officers were dispatched to Clarke’s home on Hemlock Drive, near the intersection of Birch Road.

The officers were responding to a 911 call from Clarke in which she reported suffering from a suspected heart attack.

When officers arrived at the home, Clarke was inside her home and talked to the officers through a window.

The police asked Ms. Clarke to come to the front door to speak with them, but she refused and asked them to leave her alone.

Police stayed on the scene, telling the woman they needed to conduct a well-being check on her.

Police said they could hear Clarke shouting at them to leave and saw her moving around inside and, at one point, lying on the floor.

After about half an hour, one of the officers said he saw the woman's dog with a knife wound.

Officer Dallas Gant found an open window and began to climb inside the home until he saw Susanne Clarke inside with a knife. He is seen on video quickly climbing back out of the window.

The Homeowner is Shot in Her Backyard

The video then turns to an officer's body-cam that shows Clarke opening the back door and coming out into the yard. A knife is clearly seen in her right hand at the door.

The officer tells Clarke repeatedly to drop the knife.

As she makes her way into the backyard, she encounters another officer, Dallas Gant, while still carrying the knife. He then shot Clarke several times.

The Attorney General's press release says that medical aid was administered, but the woman was pronounced dead at 3:24 am. A knife was recovered.

See police body-cam video of the deadly scene in the backyard, below.