Prosecutor: No Excessive Force in Police-Involved Shooting in Winslow

The Camden County Prosecutor’s Office has ruled there was no use of excessive force in a police-involved shooting in which a 59-year-old Winslow man was killed in January.

A Winslow Police officer, who is an 18-year-veteran of the force, responded to reports of a domestic disturbance in which a woman was being held at gunpoint by a relative on the 300 block of New Brooklyn Road around 10:20 a.m. on July 25.

When the officer arrived, the woman ran toward his car while screaming about a man with a gun.

William Campbell followed the woman to the police car, and allegedly raised his 38 Special revolver toward the officer. When Campbell refused to comply with the officer’s order to drop the gun, the officer shot one round at Campbell. Campbell was struck and killed as a result.

When a municipal police officer uses deadly force, the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office conducts an investigation into the incident, as required by the state Attorney General’s Office guidelines.

Based on the results of this investigation, Camden County Prosecutor Mary Eva Colalillo determined that the use of deadly force by the officer was clearly necessary to protect both the officer and the woman from imminent death or serious bodily injury.

No criminal charges were filed and the matter was not presented to a grand jury. The Division of Criminal Justice reviewed the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office’s investigation and agreed with the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office’s conclusion that the use of deadly force was legally justified.

Furthermore, the Division of Criminal Justice agreed with the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office’s determination that the case forgo a Grand Jury presentation because no material facts were in dispute.

“This entire matter has been reviewed by Prosecutor Mary Eva Colalillo and all portions of the Attorney General’s Law Enforcement Directive regarding uniform statewide procedures and best practices for conducting police use of force investigations that were in effect during the course of this investigation were complied with,” the Prosecutor’s Office said Wednesday afternoon.

According to the investigation:

The woman was the owner of the property. She lived in an upstairs apartment while Campbell lived in the first floor apartment. The two were lifetime friends, and Campbell had been living in the apartment rent-free since 2014.

That morning, a contractor was set to come to the house to measure for new windows. When she went to tell Campbell someone was coming, Campbell allegedly grabbed her by the throat and told her she wasn’t leaving the apartment.

She left the apartment and walked toward her car, but Campbell followed allegedly followed her with a gun. He allegedly said he would blow her head off if she did not put the residence in his name. He also allegedly stated he would kill the contractor if the contractor showed up.

She used her cell phone to call and text her boyfriend and her son. Her son called the police.

When the contractor arrived, she told him he would have to come back another time. However, the contractor saw what he thought might be a gun in Campbell’s hand. Campbell was staying very close to the woman, the contractor noted.

The contractor left, but when he came across a Winslow Township Police car, he stopped to tell the officer in the car what had happened. The officer went to the residence, and as he approached, Winslow Police received the son’s 9-1-1 call. The officer proceeded, leading to the incident.