VIDEO: No Charge Against Cop Who Shot Jersey City Domestic Violence Suspect: AG

JERSEY CITY, NJ — A state grand jury has voted not to file any criminal charges against a Jersey City police officer who fatally shot a domestic violence suspect last year, the Attorney General's Office announced Tuesday.

Joseph Robertson, 59, of Jersey City, was fatally shot by a Jersey City police officer on May 24, 2022.

Just before Robertson was killed, according to the state, he grabbed a woman he was with — in front of police who had already arrived — and shot her in the chest.

The AG's office said police were responding to a 911 call about a "domestic dispute."

They gave this account of what happened:

"Officers of the Jersey City Police Department responded to a 911 call made shortly after 11:56 p.m., reporting a domestic dispute involving a man with a gun near the intersection of Communipaw Avenue and West Side Avenue in Jersey City. When officers arrived, they encountered Mr. Robertson and a woman near the BP gas station. Mr. Robertson pointed a firearm at the woman.

"Officer Polanco ordered him to drop the weapon. Mr. Robertson did not comply, but instead pulled the woman closer to him and placed her in a headlock with the firearm pointed at her. Mr. Robertson fired his weapon one time, striking the woman in the chest. In response Officer [Omar] Polanco fired his weapon twice, and both shots struck Mr. Robertson, fatally wounding him. The police recovered Mr. Robinson’s firearm at the scene."

After hearing the testimony and evidence, the grand jury voted "no bill" on Monday, Oct. 2, 2023, meaning no criminal charges should be filed against Officer Polanco.

Officers and emergency medical personnel treated Robertson. He was pronounced dead at the scene at 12:19 a.m.

The woman was also provided with medical attention and sustained a non-fatal injury, the AG's Office said.

Video footage and a 911 call are available here: https://njoag.app.box.com/s/sr...

A 2019 law requires the Attorney General’s Office to conduct investigations of a person’s death that occurs "during an encounter with a law enforcement officer acting in the officer’s official capacity or while the decedent is in custody."

Protests Continue Over Andrew Washington Case

Meanwhile, protests have continued in Jersey City after the fatal shooting by a police officer last month of Andrew Washington, a man with mental health issues whose family called a local crisis center for help. Washington was not a suspect in a crime.

Protestors marched at the City Council meeting on Sept. 20. The officer involved was not charged, and the AG released footage last month. Find out more here.