LACEY — The New Jersey Attorney General’s Office of Public Integrity and Accountability on Friday identified both the woman who was killed and the officer involved in a fatal police shooting earlier this week in the Lanoka Harbor section of Lacey Township.
Officials said Susanne Clarke, 55, of Lacey, died during the encounter. The officer who fired his weapon was identified as Lacey Township Police Officer Dallas Gant.
According to a preliminary investigation, township police were sent to a home on Hemlock Drive near Birch Road shortly after 2 a.m. March 16, after a 911 caller reported a medical emergency.
Investigators said officers encountered Clarke outside the residence at about 2:44 a.m. During that interaction, Gant discharged his service weapon, striking her. Clarke was pronounced dead at the scene at 3:24 a.m.
Authorities said a knife was recovered outside the home.
One Lacey police officer was hospitalized for a non-life-threatening injury, Police Chief Paul Sullivan Jr. said in a public statement on March 16. Other officers at the scene were not injured.
The state’s public integrity office said the investigation remains active and that no additional details were being released.
Under New Jersey law, the Attorney General’s Office must investigate deaths that happen during encounters with law enforcement officers acting in their official duties or while a person is in custody. The findings must then be presented to a grand jury, which will decide whether the evidence supports a criminal indictment against any officer involved.
Officer Gant was sworn in to the Lacey Police Department in October of 2019.
According to Clarke’s obituary, she was a loving mother, devoted daughter, cherished friend and vibrant presence in the lives of all who knew her.
Jersey Shore Online will update readers with new information as the investigation continues.
