TRENTON – A State grand jury voted not to file criminal charges against the police officers who shot a man armed with a rifle who was reportedly acting erratically.
Shannon Rose, 39, of Manchester, was fatally shot during an encounter on the night of December 5, 2023.
According to the investigation, Manchester Police responded to a 911 call about a man in distress, later identified as Rose. He had left his home with a semi-automatic rifle in a white van.
Police learned the van was involved in a crash and responded. They heard a gunshot, and saw Rose in a wooded area off Elizabeth Avenue, armed with the rifle.
Officers tried to negotiate with Rose to drop the weapon for about 20 minutes. Rose emptied the magazine, but didn’t clear the live round in the chamber. He raised the rifle, and was shot by Officers Nicholas Greenwood and Michael Anderson.
In the aftermath, police found a shell casing that testing revealed had been fired from his rifle.
The Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA) investigated, as per state law. They presented to New Jersey residents serving on the grand jury witness interviews, video footage from police cameras, ballistics tests and autopsy results. The jury decided that no criminal charges should be filed against the two officers.
By law, the Attorney General’s Office has to conduct an investigation of any death when a law enforcement officer is acting in their official capacity.
The recordings of two 911 calls and footage from a body-worn camera can be reviewed at njoag.box.com/s/eeqnc6hbaqlwdm8xelbsomq83hoshfci
