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The shooting occurred on Ravens Crest Drive at the Crest at Princeton Meadows Apartment Complex off Plainsboro Road between Routes 1 and 130 during what witnesses said began as the serving of an eviction notice around 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 16.
"Law enforcement officers, including members of the Middlesex County Sheriff’s Office, were outside a residence when they encountered Mr. Lewis," Acting New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said.
During the encounter, sheriff's Detective Phillip Nguyen discharged his service weapon, fatally wounding Lewis, the attorney general said.
A knife was recovered nearby, Platkin said.
Officers and emergency medical personnel rendered first aid to Lewis, who was taken to Princeton Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 12:10 p.m. that day, he said.
No one else was injured, Platkin said.
State law and his own guidelines require his office to investigate deaths that occur “during an encounter with a law enforcement officer acting in the officer’s official capacity or while the decedent is in custody," no matter what the circumstances are.
The guidelines guarantee that the investigation is done “in a full, impartial and transparent manner," removing politics or personal agendas.
Once the investigation by the attorney general's Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA) is complete, the results are presented to a grand jury.
The grand jury reviews a host of evidence -- including witness interviews, body and dashcam video, and forensic and autopsy results -- to determine whether or not there was cause to suspect any wrongdoing on the part of law enforcement.
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