Off-Duty Newark Cop Fatally Shoots Man Outside Bar: Prosecutor

By ALEXIS TARRAZI (Patch Staff)

A man was fatally shot by an off-duty police officer outside of a Union County bar early Friday morning, acting Union County Prosecutor Grace H. Park announced.

A fight between Michael Gaffney, 37, of Piscataway and an off-duty Newark Police Department officer broke out at Paddy’s Place, a bar on the 900 block of Rosemont Avenue in Union, Park said.

The altercation escalated to the point where the Newark officer used his service weapon, according to the prosecutor's report.

Gaffney was pronounced dead outside of the bar around 1 a.m. on May 13.

The officer was taken to a local hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.

Police are not releasing the Newark officer’s name at this time, said Mark Spivey, Director of Communications with the Union County Prosecutor's Office.

The Prosecutor’s Office’s Homicide Task Force and Special Prosecutions Unit, the Union County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Unit, the Union County Police Department Ballistics Unit, and the Union Township Police Department are investigating the incident in strict accordance with the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General guidelines governing all investigations into incidents involving use of deadly force by law enforcement.

Anyone with information about this matter is being urged to contact Prosecutor’s Office Detective Kalebota at 908-527-4567.

Sign up for Patch NJ email newsletters here.