State Grand Jury Takes No Action
in Police Shooting in West Deptford

TRENTON – A state grand jury today voted to take no action in connection with the fatal shooting by a member of the Gloucester County SWAT team of John Bartolett, 49, on July 13, 2005 in West Deptford Township.

The shooting was investigated by the Attorney General’s Shooting Response Team, made up of representatives from the Division of Criminal Justice and the New Jersey State Police Major Crimes Unit. The state grand jury heard evidence as to the shooting developed through the team’s investigation.

Police were called to the home of a female friend of Bartolett on DuBois Avenue on a report of a domestic dispute. When officers arrived, Bartolett allegedly put a handgun to the head of the woman, then fled alone into a detached garage behind the house, starting an 11-hour standoff. Bartolett was shot once in the head by a police marksman armed with a rifle when he allegedly pointed the handgun at officers who approached the garage. Police had fired tear gas in an attempt to get Bartolett to come out. The handgun wielded by Bartolett was a high-powered pellet pistol.