Police-Involved Shooting In Newark Raises Questions, Spurs Rally

NEWARK, NJ — Authorities have released more details about a police-involved shooting in Newark that claimed the life of a 39-year-old South Orange resident on New Year’s Day.

A Wednesday rally and vigil are being planned in the name of the deceased, Carl Dorsey III.

The New Jersey Attorney General’s Office released the following statement about the shooting:

“According to the preliminary investigation, the shooting occurred at approximately 12:03 a.m. near Woodland Avenue and South 11th Street in Newark. Officers on patrol responded to the area. During the incident, an officer fired his 9 mm service weapon, striking Mr. Dorsey. Officers provided medical aid to Mr. Dorsey and he was transported by emergency medical personnel to University Hospital in Newark, where he was pronounced deceased at 1:37 a.m.”

On Wednesday afternoon, the attorney general’s office released the identity of the officer who fired his service weapon at Dorsey as Rod Simpkins, a detective with the Newark Police Department.

An investigation is being conducted pursuant to a law enacted in January 2019, which requires that the state attorney general’s office investigate 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.

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka released a statement about the shooting on Friday. He wrote:

“Just a few minutes into the New Year, some of our plainclothes Newark police officers arrived at a scene where shots were being fired and an officer fired one round, fatally striking someone. The Attorney General's office is leading an investigation and the officer is on administrative leave while the investigation is underway. Two firearms were also recovered and at least one arrest was made. If anyone has any information or videos of what happened, please come forward and contact the Attorney General's office at 609-292-4925 or 609-984-5828.”

Some Newark residents are questioning the police response that led to the shooting.

The Newark AntiViolence Coalition (NAVC) is spearheading a rally and vigil at 5 p.m. on Wednesday at Woodland Avenue and South 11th Street – the intersection where authorities say Dorsey was shot.

“People in the neighborhood have a very different version of the story,” the group wrote.

The week prior to the New Year’s Day shooting, the Newark Public Safety Department said that no local police officer fired a shot in 2020.

"Our officers have embraced deescalation training and are actively employing this resource when engaging with the community," Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose said.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey commended the Newark Police Department, which saw a 30 percent drop in the number of shooting victims citywide between 2017 and 2018. In 20l9, the number of shooting victims and shooting incidents declined another 39 percent, with the number of murders reaching its lowest level in nearly six decades.

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com

Don’t forget to visit the Patch Newark Facebook page. Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site. Sign up for Patch email newsletters.