Man in Critical Condition Following Police-Involved Shooting in Burlington County

An early morning shooting involving an off-duty police officer has left a Willingboro man in critical condition, Burlington County Prosecutor Robert D. Bernardi and Edgewater Park Township Police Chief Gene J. DiFilippo announced Tuesday afternoon.

Basil Warren, an officer with the Delanco Police Department, visited a property he recently purchased in Edgewater Park following the conclusion of his shift at 3 a.m. Tuesday morning. He was driving his personal car, but was still in uniform.

After visiting the home, Warren exited the house to find a man sitting in the passenger seat of his car. The man was later identified as Tysean Fitzpatrick, age 26, of Melrose Lane in Willingboro.

Warren allegedly told Fitzpatrick to get out of his car. For reasons that remain unclear, Warren discharged his department-issued .40 caliber firearm multiple times, striking Fitzpatrick.

The preliminary investigation concludes that Fitzpatrick was able to move Warren’s vehicle down the street for a short distance before it came to rest.

When police officers arrived on the scene after receiving a call from a Stevenson Avenue resident, they found Warren administering first aid to Fitzpatrick.

Fitzpatrick was taken to Cooper University Hospital in Camden, where he underwent emergency surgery for gunshot wounds. He is listed in critical condition.

Neither Warren or Fitzpatrick have been interviewed by investigators.

Warren has been a law enforcement officer for 10 years, the last eight of which have been as a patrolman with the Delanco Police Department.

Fitzpatrick was charged in November in connection with an attempted armed robbery at the Burlington Center Mall.

The investigation into the details of the shooting is ongoing by detectives from the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office. No charges have yet been filed in the incident.