A Jersey City man “picked up and raised” a handgun before he was shot in the wrist by a police officer last night, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
Last night, at approximately 8 p.m., members of the Jersey City Police Department Street Crimes Unit were conducting an investigation in the area of Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive and Oak Street when officers observed an individual with what appeared to be a handgun, Suarez said in a statement this afternoon.
The preliminary investigation by the HCPO has revealed that the suspect, when approached by the officers who identified themselves as police, fled across the parking lot of the Salem Lafayette Public Housing Complex.
The suspect, later identified as Korron Benthall, “was observed dropping a firearm which he then picked up and raised.” At this time, one officer discharged his weapon striking Benthall in the wrist, authorities said.
Benthall was transported to the Jersey City Medical Center for treatment for the non-life threatening injury. A loaded semi-automatic handgun was recovered from the immediate scene.
Benthall, 21, of Jersey City has been charged with unlawful possession of a weapon, a second-degree crime, and possession of prohibited weapons and devices (hollow nose bullets – a fourth-degree crime.
The Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office is investigating the circumstances surrounding the
shooting and is in the early stages of its investigation.
As is standard protocol, the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office has been notified and the HCPO is working in conjunction with the state Attorney General.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Public Integrity Unit at 201- 795-6400, ext. 6771.
Yesterday, Mayor Steven Fulop, Public Safety Director James Shea, and Chief Michael Kelly held a press conference in front of the Jersey City Medical Center indicating that an officer had shot an armed assailant, with no serious injuries reports, and the HCPO was investigating the matter.
At the time, Fulop expressed relief that neither the officer or Benthall sustained severe injuries, and also offered praise for the officer’s eight-year service record on the force.
The identity of the officer has still not been revealed as of Wednesday afternoon.
Additionally, Shea declined to answer most specifics due to the ongoing investigation, though noted surveillance footage from the incident would be released once the HCPO’s probe of the incident was complete.
