Fatal officer-involved shooting in Berlin Township under investigation: officials

Man fatally shot by NJ State police detective in Berlin Twp.

The Attorney General?s Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA) is investigating an officer-involved shooting that occurred in Berlin Township Tuesday afternoon.

BERLIN TWP. N.J - An investigation is underway after officials say a fatal shooting involving a police officer occurred in Berlin Township Tuesday afternoon. 

What we know:

Berlin Township police say an incident occurred in the area of Haddon Avenue and Bate Avenue Tuesday afternoon. 

The Attorney General’s Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA) confirmed a shooting occurred at a residential building in West Berlin. 

The OPIA says a man sustained fatal injuries. 

Dig deeper:

According to the preliminary investigation, two New Jersey State Police (NJSP) detectives assigned to the United States Marshals Service NY/NJ Regional Fugitive Task Force were conducting an investigation involving the man when they encountered him on Haddon Avenue in the vicinity of Bate Avenue. 

During the encounter, one of the NJSP detectives fired his service weapon, striking the man. 

Law enforcement says they recovered a revolver at the scene after the shooting. 

The man was transported to Cooper University Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 2:13 p.m. 

Although he has not been officially identified, family members tell us the 38-year-old man named "Sean" was shot by police in front of his own mother outside his apartment building on the 100 block of Haddon Avenue in West Berlin.

The investigation is ongoing with the Attorney General’s Office.

New Jersey State Police in New Jersey are required to wear body cameras.

The identity of the State Police detective involved in the shooting has not yet been released.

What they're saying:

"He’s dead… he’s dead!! " his mother yelled out to police as she arrived back to the apartment where her son was shot just hours earlier.

"I saw the body drop and then I saw the officers go into action" said a neighbor who witnessed the deadly shooting.

The neighbor, who didn’t want to be identified, tells us he was getting ready for a family pool party and noticed a pair of State Troopers arrive at the two-story apartment building across the street. Moments later shots were fired.

"He must have felt threatened because all of the sudden things changed. I thought there was four shots. Maybe there was three but it happened real quick" he said. 

 As State Police Crime Scene investigators combed the scene into the evening, family members tell us tonight the father of two daughters and lover of cars died on his way to Cooper University Hospital.

 "At 69 years of age I’ve kind of seen a lot of stuff this town is a quiet town. We get a whole lot of this." he added. 

 "We need to support our police department. We really do. Because the world is getting to be a real crazy place", the neighbor added.

What's next:

By law, a case of this nature is required to be presented to a grand jury to determine if the evidence supports the return of an indictment against the officer or officers involved.