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Don Jones, 50, was wanted for a homicide in Union County when members of the U.S. Marshals New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force and city police chased him into West Side Park last Aug. 29, 2023.
Jones pulled a handgun from his waistband, dashed to an open field and was surrounded by police, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said on Wednesday, May 15.
He then dropped to his knees, pointed the firearm at his head and pulled the trigger, the attorney general said.
Jones was pronounced dead a short time later at University Hospital in Newark.
State law and his own guidelines require Platkin to review 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.
Members of the state Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA) shared video with the family as part of its review of the incident.
The recordings are posted online: Newark-Jones (NJAG) Video
Prosecutors presented the video to a state grand jury along with the results of witness interviews, ballistic test results and autopsy findings, Platkin said.
The grand jurors deliberated and on Monday returned a "no bill" -- essentially that law enforcement bore no responsibility for the outcome.
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