Suspect shot, killed by police in Atlantic City opened fire as SWAT breached door: officials
New details after man killed, 2 officers shot in Atlantic City
The Attorney General’s Office released the identities of the deceased civilian and the officer involved in a fatal police shooting in Atlantic City on June 2, 2026, with the investigation ongoing and the decedent’s mother speaking out about her son’s death.
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. - New Jersey officials are sharing more details on the circumstances surrounding a shooting that left a man dead and two Atlantic City police officers injured.
One of those officers sustained serious injuries. The other has since been released from the hospital.
The backstory:
The incident unfolded on Tuesday, June 2 as officials say Atlantic City Police Department’s SWAT team and members of the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s office attempted to serve a search warrant at a home on the 100 block of North Florida Avenue.
When officers arrived on the scene they found the front door to the property was open, before it was closed by someone inside the home.
Officials say the officers announced themselves at the door and then breached the door.
As the door opened, investigators say Donald Gardner, who was also known as Donald Capriotti, fired multiple gunshots at the officers.
One officer was struck in the helmet and another was shot in the leg. Atlantic City Police Officer Robert Reynolds returned fire, striking and killing Gardner.
Officer Reynolds was not injured in the shooting. The other two officers were taken to AtlantiCare Medical center for treatment.
As of Wednesday, SWAT Sergeant Christian Ivanov, remained in the intensive care unit.
Who was Donald Gardner?
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.
Gardner’s mother, Tina Capriotti, said she does not believe her son was armed when he was killed and wants answers about what happened.
"I want to know why they killed my son, that’s what I want to know," said Capriotti. She also said, "They left him here until 2 o’clock in the morning dead in a wheelchair and they’d didn’t give me one minute, one minute to see my son," Capriotti added, "He has a family that loves him no matter what. He got in trouble whatever happened growing up or whatever. We loved him."
Gardner had a long history with law enforcement, including the 1994 conviction and a police shooting in 2013 that left him paralyzed.
What's next:
The New Jersey Attorney General's Office is continuing to investigate. By law, their findings will later be presented to a grand jury.
The Source: Information from the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office, Gloucester Township Police, and interviews with Tina Capriotti included in previous FOX 29 coverage.