New Jersey police officer wounded and man killed in exchange of gunfire, authorities say

HAMILTON TOWNSHIP, N.J. (AP) — State and county authorities in New Jersey are investigating an exchange of gunfire that left a man dead and a police officer hospitalized with multiple gunshot wounds.

Hamilton Township police said officers responded to a domestic disturbance call at a home in the Mercer County township shortly after 10 p.m. Friday.

The state attorney general’s office said a man armed with a rifle exchanged fire with two officers. The man was fatally wounded and was pronounced dead at the scene. One officer was struck and is being treated for his injuries. A firearm was recovered at the scene.

Hamilton Township police said the wounded officer was transported to Capital Health System’s Fuld Campus in Trenton “and is expected to survive.” The names of the officer and the dead man weren’t immediately released.

The New Jersey State Policeman’s Benevolent Association said in a social media post Saturday that the officer was ”resting comfortably” after surgery and “has been up and talking today.”

The county prosecutor’s office and the state attorney general’s office are investigating; the attorney general’s office is required by law to investigate deaths that occur during encounters with law enforcement.

“Our thoughts are with the officer and his partner who responded last night, and with the family of the decedent who suffered a tragic loss. ... Let us remember the daily risks our law enforcement officers take to keep our communities safe,” Attorney General Matthew Platkin said in a statement.

Platkin added that authorities were “working together to disrupt cycles of violence, end gun violence, protect our law enforcement officers, and support victims and survivors of violence as they work to rebuild their lives.”