AG appoints Passaic prosecutor to investigate police shooting of gun suspect
A member of the Passaic Police Department, who allegedly shot a suspect accused of training his gun on another officer, will be investigated by the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office at the direction of the Attorney General's Office of Public Integrity and Accountability.
Meanwhile, the injured suspect faces a slew of charges, including aggravated assault, receiving stolen property and multiple weapons offenses after surviving his wounds, prosecutors stated Tuesday.
While announcing the probe, the prosecutor's office named the suspect ― Jason Urban, 42, of Passaic ― but not the officer who shot him.
Nor did the prosecutor's office detail how many times Urban, who was said to have been firing gunshots into the air near the city's train station on May 10, was struck by the officer's gunfire, only stating the unnamed cop fired eight rounds in Urban's direction.
The OPIA appointed the office of Passaic Prosecutor Camelia Valdes, which works with the Passaic Police Department on cases, to act as an "independent investigator" into the officer's use of force.
Independent investigations into any use-of-force by a law enforcement officer that results in death, serious bodily injury or if the force could be considered deadly ― whether or not it proves fatal ― are required by a December 2019 directive from the AG's Office.
Police are said to have responded to Passaic Avenue and Lackawanna Place at approximately 6:30 p.m. to find Urban allegedly firing a .44 caliber handgun, which prosecutors claim was reported stolen out of Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania.
Authorities claim Urban had been firing the gun aimlessly into the evening sky, but once police arrived at the scene and ordered him to put down the weapon, he allegedly pointed the gun at one of the officers, leading to his shooting at the hands of a second policeman among the responding squad.
Urban was transported to St. Joseph's University Medical Center and later remanded to Passaic County Jail, where prosecutor's have requested he remain pending his trial, by way of a motion submitted to the court.
That motion will be considered by Judge Irme Karaszegi on Friday.
Editor's Note: This story has been updated to reflect that the investigation is being handled by the Passaic County Prosecutor.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: AG taps Passaic prosecutor to investigate shooting of suspect by cops
