Grand Jury Declines Criminal Charges Regarding Officer-Involved Shooting In Woodlynne

Press release from the Camden County Prosecutor:

2022-10-13

Camden, N.J.- At the conclusion of its deliberations regarding the shooting of Jai Wood, Jr., 24, of Collingswood, N.J., the grand jury has voted not to file any criminal charges. Mr. Wood, a suspect of an armed robbery, was shot in the buttocks by a Woodlynne Borough Police Department officer in December of 2019. The officer was identified as Officer Ryan Dubiel, of the Woodlynne Borough Police Department.

As an officer-involved shooting, this matter was investigated by the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office, in accordance with the Attorney General’s Law Enforcement Directive No. 2019-4, the “Independent Prosecutor Directive.” A conflicts check was conducted pursuant to the Independent Prosecutor Directive, and no actual or potential conflict of interest was found involving any individual assigned to the investigation. The investigation included interviews of witnesses, collection of forensic evidence, review of video footage and review of medical records.

The investigation was then submitted to the Office of the Attorney General for independent review. The entire investigation was reviewed by the Attorney General’s Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA). Following their review, the matter was returned to the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office for presentation to the Grand Jury.

The case was then presented to a grand jury composed of Camden County residents. After hearing testimony and evidence from the investigation, the grand jury concluded its deliberations and voted “no bill,” meaning they found that the actions of the police officer who shot Jai Wood, Jr., on December 29, 2019, were justified and that no charges should be filed against the officer.

According to the investigation, emergency tones were activated at approximately 10:57 p.m., based on a report of an armed robbery by a man in a mask at the Woodlynne Conoco Gas Station, located at 2100 Mt. Ephraim Avenue in Woodlynne, N.J.

Two Woodlynne police officers, who were riding together in a marked patrol vehicle nearby, were dispatched to the gas station. The victim of the armed robbery immediately pointed the two officers in the direction of the armed suspect’s flight. Within four minutes of the initial report, the officers spotted Mr. Wood, who matched the description provided. As the officers stopped their marked police unit, Mr. Wood began to run. Officer Dubiel, who was in the passenger seat, exited and followed. He ordered Mr. Wood to stop, as his partner followed behind them in the marked patrol vehicle with the lights and sirens activated. The officer ordered Mr. Wood to stop multiple times, as Mr. Wood ran down Ferry Avenue and turned onto Mount Ephraim Avenue. According to the officers, as Mr. Wood ran from them, he appeared to be clutching his waistband, as if he were holding something. As Officer Dubiel’s partner parked the marked vehicle and exited to join in the foot chase, both officers described how Mr. Wood began to turn his body toward the left, in the direction of the partner-officer, who was approaching Mr. Wood on foot. Both officers also described Mr. Wood was now moving his hand upward, the hand that previously appeared to be holding something near his waistband. They reported that he started to slow down, even though they had not run very far. Thinking Mr. Wood was now lifting his hand up to shoot either his partner or himself, Officer Dubiel stopped and fired a single round, striking Wood in the buttocks. Mr. Wood was then apprehended and transported to Cooper Hospital by EMS.

Mr. Wood first denied having a weapon but then told officers that it was a BB gun and that he had thrown it. A BB gun was located not far from where Mr. Wood was shot. Both officers described the conditions as dark and rainy. Officer Dubiel denied seeing Mr. Wood throw the BB gun immediately prior to the shooting. The officer stated that his purpose in firing was to protect both himself and his partner from getting shot by a man who matched the description of an armed suspect for a robbery that occurred just minutes prior.

The grand jury was presented with the facts, evidence and testimony from the investigation by the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office. They were also given instructions on the legal standards, including whether the officer’s action were legally justified. After deliberating, the grand jury found the actions of the officer were justified and, therefore, no criminal charges should be brought against the officer with regard to the shooting.

An officer may use deadly force in New Jersey when the officer reasonably believes it is immediately necessary to protect the officer or another person from imminent danger of death or serious bodily harm.

Jai Wood, Jr., pled guilty to one count of first-degree armed robbery and was sentenced on November 5, 2021, to six (6) years in New Jersey State Prison. Mr. Wood must serve eighty-five percent (85%) of that sentence pursuant to the No Early Release Act. He will then be subject to a five-year (5) period of parole supervision.

Ryan Dubiel is no longer a member of the Woodlynne Police Department. As part of his January 2021 guilty plea to Simple Assault for using Oleoresin Capsicum spray against two victims during an unrelated matter in June of 2020, Ryan Dubiel forfeited his position with the Woodlynne Police Department and is prohibited from holding any public office within the State of New Jersey, including employment as a police officer.

The Independent Prosecutor Directive is posted on the Attorney General’s website at the following link: https://www.nj.gov/oag/dcj/agguide/directives/ag-Directive-2019-4.pdf

Further information about how officer-involved shootings are investigated in New Jersey under the directive is found at this link:

http://www.nj.gov/oag/independent-prosecutor/

This press release was produced by the Camden County Prosecutor. The views expressed here are the author’s own.