Grand jury declines to charge Piscataway officer in fatal shooting of 29-year-old man
Officer John Ward will not face criminal charges in the Jan. 5 shooting of Jordan Barnes during a police response to a home where three relatives were found dead.
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A state grand jury has declined to bring criminal charges against a Piscataway police officer who fatally shot a 29-year-old man during a January encounter at a home where three of his relatives were later found dead, the New Jersey Attorney General's Office announced Tuesday.
The grand jury concluded its deliberations Monday and voted not to indict Officer John Ward in the Jan. 5 shooting of Jordan Barnes, 29, of Piscataway.
According to the Attorney General's Office, police received two 911 calls around 5:30 p.m. from a residence on River Road. One call captured a woman yelling, "Stop! Stop!" while another relative reported that Barnes was threatening to stab people inside the home.
The first responding officer arrived around 5:33 p.m. and saw Barnes on the front porch. Investigators said Barnes picked up a knife, went inside and locked the front door.
A relative told officers that three other people remained inside. Barnes later appeared at a second-story window, gestured toward his neck and told officers they would not get inside, according to investigators.
As officers gathered at the entrance, Ward looked through a window beside the front door and saw two people lying on the floor, apparently unresponsive.
READ MORE: Attorney General releases bodycam video, 911 calls from Piscataway police-involved shooting
Officers used a key provided by a relative to enter the home, where they encountered Barnes holding a kitchen knife, authorities said.
Investigators said Barnes ignored commands to drop the knife and get on the ground and instead advanced toward officers. Three officers deployed Tasers without effect before Ward fired his service weapon, striking Barnes.
Officers provided immediate medical aid and cleared the home for emergency personnel, who pronounced Barnes dead at the scene.
Investigators recovered a large kitchen knife from the front porch and a second, broken knife near the entrance.
Police found three relatives dead inside the home: Jeanmarie Barnes, 60; Richard A. Barnes, 86; and Brenda F. Barnes, 84. All three had multiple suspected stab wounds, authorities said.
READ MORE: Authorities ID people involved in triple homicide, police-involved shooting in Piscataway
The Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office is investigating their deaths.
The Attorney General's Office said its investigation included witness interviews, photographs, police radio transmissions, video footage and autopsy findings. The evidence was presented to the grand jury, which voted not to file charges against Ward.
Under New Jersey law, deaths occurring during encounters with law enforcement officers must be investigated by the Attorney General's Office and presented to a grand jury to determine whether criminal charges are warranted.
Authorities previously released 911 recordings, police radio transmissions and body-camera footage from the incident.
