No Charges For Cop In Fatal Shooting Of Knife-Wielding Union County Man

ELIZABETH, NJ — A state grand jury voted not to criminally charge an Elizabeth Police Officer who fatally shot a man who was holding a knife and a woman by her hair in July 2023, officials announced.

According to the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office(OAG), Elizabeth Police Officer Steven Lazo shot Estiben Alegria-Hurtado, 42, of Elizabeth, inside a multi-family home on Amity Street Way on July 29, 2023.

Alegria-Hurtado’s death was investigated by the Attorney General’s Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA) and presented to New Jersey residents serving on the grand jury in accordance with the Independent Prosecutor Directive of 2019.

The investigation included witness interviews, photographs, review of home surveillance footage, body-worn camera footage, ballistics results, and autopsy findings from the medical examiner.

After hearing the testimony and evidence, the jurors deliberated on March 18, 2024, and voted "no bill," meaning that no criminal charges should be filed against Officer Lazo.

On July 29 at 7:59 a.m., Elizabeth Police went to a 911 call regarding an unwanted person at a multifamily residence on Amity Street in Elizabeth. Read More: Man Fatally Shot By Police Officer In Elizabeth, Identities Released

At around 8:04 a.m., police arrived on the scene. At the time officers entered and walked to the rear of the home, two men were trying to restrain Alegria-Hurtado, according to the investigation.

As the officers approached, Alegria-Hurtado, who had a knife and was near a woman, either broke free or was let go by the men, grabbed the woman by her hair, and raised the knife above his shoulder, according to the investigation.

At 8:05 a.m., Officer Lazo fired his gun once, hitting Alegria-Hurtado in the chest. Authorities recovered the knife near Algeria-Hurtado, according to the investigation.

Officers rendered aid to Algeria-Hurtado, who was taken by emergency medical personnel to University Hospital in Newark. He was later pronounced dead at 11:26 p.m. on Sunday, July 30.

An audio recording of a 911 call and footage from police body-worn cameras capturing the events surrounding the shooting were previously released. Those recordings are available here.

A 2019 law, P.L. 2019, c. 1, 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. It requires that all such investigations be presented to a grand jury to determine if the evidence supports the return of an indictment against the officer or officers involved. The grand jury is instructed on the elements of the potential criminal offenses, including criminal homicide offenses, that could be brought and, as required by statutes, the grand jury is instructed on self-defense and other forms of legal justification.

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