No Police Charged In Man's Fatal Shooting In Long Branch In 2021

LONG BRANCH, NJ — A grand jury has voted not to file any criminal charges against the three Monmouth County police officers who fatally shot Mark Walker II, 34, after a multi-hour standoff with police on Chelsea Avenue in Long Branch in November 2021.

The nine-hour standoff occurred on Nov. 5, 2021, a Friday night, and Walker finally emerged from the apartment building — which had been set on fire — holding his two-week-old baby, firing a gun at police as he ran from them.

He was shot and killed. The newborn baby was recovered by police with no injuries.

The police officers who fatally shot him are Patrolman Eric Voorand of the Manalapan Police Department, Patrolman Daniel Murphy of the Howell Police Department and Patrolman Omar Akel of the Middletown Police Department, all members of the Monmouth County Emergency Response Team (MOCERT).

No criminal charges will be filed against any of them, New Jersey Attorney Matt Platkin announced Tuesday of this week.

A grand jury of New Jersey residents was presented with the evidence and facts of the case, and on May 15 the jury decided not to indict the three officers.

Immediately after Walker was killed, the Attorney General launched an investigation, as it does anytime someone is killed by a police officer in the state. The investigation included interviews of witnesses, collection of forensic evidence, a review of police body-worn camera footage, video surveillance, motor vehicle recording footage and Walker's autopsy results.

This evidence, including video of the incident, as well as interviews of the three officers involved, was presented to the grand jury.

After hearing the testimony and evidence, the grand jury concluded its deliberations last Monday, May 15, and voted “no bill,” meaning the grand jury concluded that no criminal charges should be filed against Officers Murphy, Akel and Voorand.

The nine-hour standoff in Long Branch on Nov. 5, 2021

The following is an account from the NJ Attorney General of what happened that night:

At approximately 5:10 p.m. on Nov. 5, members of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office tried to execute a residential search warrant at Apt. 1 of 274 Chelsea Avenue in Long Branch. As detectives were executing the warrant, Walker shot one of the detectives in the lower leg.

The detective who was shot in the leg was taken to a local hospital and discharged later that same evening.

Walker is from Woodbridge, Virginia.

The detectives retreated and repositioned outside of the building, and Walker barricaded himself inside with his two-week-old infant. MOCERT was deployed and took over the scene.

Negotiators contacted Walker, who expressed his desire to surrender. He was provided with directions about how to do so safely, specifically that a family member planned to respond to the apartment and take the baby, after which Walker would surrender.

But negotiations continued for approximately seven hours, without success.

Walker stated on numerous occasions that he would surrender, but each time failed to do so.

Around 2 a.m., a fire erupted in the apartment building. Walker fled the building, holding the infant in his arms. As he ran out of the burning building, Walker fired several rounds from a handgun in the officers’ direction and struck a BearCat vehicle parked in the roadway.

Three members of MOCERT returned fire and fatally wounded Walker, who was pronounced dead at the scene. The infant was not injured. The entire apartment building caught fire and sustained extensive fire damage. It was later determined by the Fire Marshall that the fire was intentionally set from within the building.

Original Patch report on this incident: Man Killed In Standoff With Long Branch Police Identified (Nov. 2021)

Dramatic Video Released In Long Branch Fatal Police Shooting (Dec. 2021)