Franklin Town, Police Could Face $5M Lawsuit In Shooting Death: Report

Somerset, NJ - The family of a New Brunswick man who was shot and killed April 9 by two uniformed Franklin police officers has filed a tort notice for a possible wrongful death claim against Franklin Township and its police department, according to Attorney Cedric Ashley of Princeton who is representing the family.

• See Related: Man Dies in New Jersey Police Shootout: Prosecutor

Filed on July 6, the family of Diahlo Grant, 27, of the Somerset section of Franklin, claims in the tort that if a lawsuit is filed they will be asking for $5 million in damages, Ashley said.

A tort notice must be filed 90 days from the incident before a lawsuit can be filed against a public entity, Ashley said.

However, the notice does not mean a lawsuit will be filed.

Ashley noted that Franklin now has six months to review the incident in question and take action to either resolve the case or not. If after six months, the Grant family is not satisfied they can then move forward with the lawsuit.

Grant was in Somerset sometime around 1 a.m. Saturday when he encountered the two uniformed Franklin police officers. The officers followed him across the town border on Somerset Street into New Brunswick and that's where he was shot. Few other details have been released yet by the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office, which is investigating the case. Prosecutors did say there was "an exchange of gunfire."

Grant was pronounced dead at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick at 3:17 a.m.after he was wounded by police at 1:31 a.m. in New Brunswick on April 9.

A vigil was held later that night.

• See Related: Family Says Diahlo Grant Didn't Have to Die

(Photo: Diahlo Grant, taken from a GoFundMe page set up for his family.)

Have a news tip? Email alexis.tarrazi@patch.com.