Bodycam Video Shows Lacey Woman Approach Cops With Knife Before Fatal Shooting

LACEY, NJ — Body camera video released Tuesday shows a Lacey woman approach a police officer while holding a knife before being fatally shot.

The Attorney General’s Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA) released radio recordings and video footage from four police body-worn cameras in the March 16 fatal shooting of Susanne Clarke, 55.

READ MORE: Woman Shot, Killed By Police In Lacey Identified

The recordings are being released "to promote the fair, impartial, and transparent investigation of police use of deadly force," according to the Attorney General’s Office.

Clarke's family, however, released a statement through their attorney saying the footage does not reveal the whole story.

"Today’s partial release of information confirms that Sue should still be alive, and her death is the result of dreadful
decisions by the Lacey Township Police Department," said Joshua S. Moskowitz, the attorney representing Clarke's family. "We will continue to seek justice for Sue and demand answers and accountability from the Lacey Township Police Department."

Four Lacey police officers were dispatched to Clarke's home on Hemlock Drive near Birch Road in Lanoka Harbor just after 2 a.m. March 16, according to preliminary investigation.

Clarke had called 911 saying she thought she was having a heart attack, officials said. When police arrived, she spoke to them through a window. Officers asked her to come speak at the front door and Clarke told them to leave her alone, refusing to go to the front door.

Officers remained on scene and EMS showed up as well, officials said. They kept telling Clarke that they needed to talk to her to ensure her wellbeing.

During this time, Clarke intermittently yelled at the officers to leave and was seen walking around the residence and lying on the floor.

After about half an hour, Officer Dallas Gant looked through the home's rear sliding glass door and noticed a dog with a stab wound, officials said.

Officers tried to get inside the house including, among other things, trying to kick down the front door.

Gant starting climbing through a side window, but immediately left after seeing Clarke enter the room holding a knife, officials said.

Clarke then left her home through the rear sliding door and advanced toward multiple officers, authorities said. Gant and another officer ordered her to drop the knife.

Gant then fired several shots, hitting Clarke, authorities said.

Medical aid was given. Clarke was pronounced dead at the scene at 3:24 a.m., officials said. A knife was recovered.

The Clarke family denied that she had stabbed her dog, noting that there is no footage showing the dog with a stab wound.

"As Ms. Clarke’s friends and family know, Ms. Clarke was a dog lover and she had recently started her own dog treat business," the statement said.

The family said that the officers were harassing a woman that was not in distress.

"Despite there clearly being no emergency, Lacey Township police officers encircled Ms. Clarke’s house, attempted to force their way into the home, and harassed Ms. Clarke to come out of her house for nearly forty minutes," the family said. "Even after Ms. Clarke had told the officers repeatedly to leave her property, they remained and continued to try to force open a window."

The family said that Clarke had been frightened, grabbed a kitchen knife in self-defense and was trying to flee her home, not approach the officers.

"Ms. Clarke posed no danger to herself or others, and the officers chose not to wait for the crisis intervention team, which had been contacted. Instead, the officer killed Ms. Clarke rather than help her," her family said.

The investigation is ongoing and no further information is available at this time.