Grand jury clears Millville police officer in deadly shooting
TRENTON – A Millville police officer committed no crime when he fatally shot a resident holding a machete last year, a state grand jury has decided.
The grand jury voted not to file charges against Millville Officer Timothy Rehmann, who shot 33-year-old Daniel Ackley in a night-time encounter outside a Burns Road home.
An investigation found Ackley was shot as he approached officers and did not comply with commands to drop the machete, according to a statement from the Attorney General’s Office.
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Police had arrived at the home after a 911 caller reported a worsening situation there around 9 p.m. on Jan. 4, 2022, the statement said.
What happened before Millville police shooting?
In an initial call, a family member expressed concern over Ackley's "uncontrollable" behavior but said he was unarmed and had made no threats.
The woman called again minutes later, saying Ackley had left the house with a kitchen knife.
"And he's been very threatening but no one in the house has been hurt yet." she said.
Recordings of the calls were redacted to prevent identifying the persons involved. But the caller identified the person in crisis as her son and gave an address for John and Karen Ackley, the shooting victim's parents.
What did body-worn cameras show?
Officers' body-worn cameras recorded video footage of their roughly 90-second encounter with Ackley.
"Put it down, we can talk about it," an officer said to Ackley, who responded, "What if I don't want to talk about it?"
The video footage showed Ackley holding the machete in his upraised right hand as he walked down a snow-covered driveway and into the street.
"Please! We don't want to do this," an officer said at one point.
"Why don't you?" asked Ackley, his arms outstretched.
The confrontation ended with a police gunshot about 15 seconds later.
Ackley received emergency medical care at the scene for a stomach wound, then was flown to an area hospital where he died shortly before 11 p.m.
An obituary said Ackley was an Iraq War veteran and a lifetime member and frequent volunteer at Port Norris Baptist Church.
"He enjoyed the outdoors, especially hiking," said the obituary, which also noted Ackley's fondness for video games and military history.
An investigation into the shooting included witness interviews, the review of video footage, and autopsy results, the statement said.
Evidence from the review was presented to the grand jury in Trenton, which voted on Monday, July 17.
A state law requires an investigation into any death that occurs during an encounter with a law enforcement officer acting in an official capacity.
Rehmann remains on administrative leave, pending completion of an Internal Affairs review, said Millville Police Chief Ross Hoffman.
Jim Walsh is a senior reporter with the Courier-Post, Burlington County Times and The Daily Journal. Email him at jwalsh@cpsj.com.
This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Millville police officer who fatally shot Daniel Ackley is cleared
