Atlantic City SWAT sergeant released from hospital weeks after deadly shootout
Atlantic City officer released from hospital after deadly shootout
Atlantic City SWAT Sgt. Christian Ivanov was released from the hospital Thursday, weeks after he was critically injured in a deadly shootout while serving a warrant.
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. - An Atlantic City police officer who suffered life-threatening injuries during a deadly shootout earlier this month was released from the hospital Thursday.
The officer was applauded as he left the hospital and headed to rehabilitation for further care and treatment for his injuries.
The backstory:
SWAT Sgt. Christian Ivanov was one of two officers injured while attempting to serve a warrant at a home on the 100 block of North Florida Avenue back on June 2. Ivanov had been in intensive care, while the second officer was released from the hospital shortly after the shooting.
According to the New Jersey Attorney General's Office, the officers arrived to the home to serve the warrant. The door of the home was open, until someone closed it from inside as they arrived.
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Suspect shot, killed by police in Atlantic City opened fire as SWAT breached door: officials
New Jersey officials say a man who was shot and killed by police in Atlantic City on Tuesday had opened fire on SWAT officers as they breached the door of a home while executing a search warrant. Two officers were injured in the incident.
As the officers breached the door, officials say 52-year-old Donald Gardner, also known as Donald Capriotti, opened fire. Two officers were struck, and a third officer returned fire, striking and killing Gardner.
The shooting left Ivanov, a married father of three, with life-threatening injuries.
Dig deeper:
According to court records, Gardner spent much of the last 30 years in and out of prison.
He was convicted of killing a man in 1994 and released on parole in 2012 after serving 19 years.
In 2013, Gardner was shot multiple times by police during a chase in Atlantic City, and his mother says he was paralyzed and used a wheelchair since then.
The Attorney General’s Office said the investigation into what led up to the shooting is ongoing.
The Source: Information from the New Jersey Attorney General's Office and previous FOX 29 reporting.