An off-duty Jersey City police officer fatally shot a man in East Orange as gunfire erupted in a residential neighborhood yesterday, Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn A. Murray said in a statement. 
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
The shooting occurred around 1 p.m. on Saturday on the 200 block of South Clinton St., authorities said, adding that the officer was not injured with the deceased described simply as “an unidentified male.”
The Essex County Prosecutor’s Office Professional Standard Bureau is handling the case, which is normal procedure for any situation involved a law enforcement officer firing a weapon, per the state Attorney General guidelines.
According to sources, who spoke under the condition of anonymity since they were not authorized to speak on the matter, the officer in question was Sgt. Titus Johnson.
Johnson was one of 31 promoted in October 2014, specifically, one of nine minority officers promoted to sergeant following a U.S. Department of Justice Consent decree.
In an interview with ABC 7, a woman who asked to remain anonymous thanked the officer for saving her brother’s life. Her brother reportedly suffered non-life threatening injuries during the shootout.
“Our officer was forced to make a decision no one in law enforcement ever wants to, but is well trained to,” Jersey City Police Superior Officers Association President Robert Kearns said in a statement.
“As the investigation progresses, we are confident it will show that his actions made others safer.”
Further details of the incident were not immediately available and a Jersey City spokeswoman did not immediately return an email seeking comment.
