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It began after a police officer from Franklin Township in Gloucester County responded as mutual aid to the 3 p.m. crash in Buena Vista (Atlantic County) on Monday, state Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said.
The officer got out of his cruiser, and one of the drivers involved in the crash got in and drove away, Grewal said.
Roy K. Jackel Jr., 41, of Cape May Court House, led a brief pursuit that ended with him stopping less than a half-mile away, where he was shot and killed by a township officer, the attorney general said.
State law and his own guidelines require Grewal’s 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."
A 10-step process ensures that the investigation are done “in a full, impartial and transparent manner,” he said.
Once the investigation is complete, the results will be presented to a grand jury -- ordinarily consisting of 16 to 23 citizens -- which will determine whether or not criminal charges are in order, the attorney general said.
The crash occurred at Cumberland and Tuckahoe roads in Buena Vista, and Jackel was shot in the 3900 block of East Oak Road, Grewal said.
Police rendered medical aid until EMS arrived and pronounced Jackel dead at the scene, the attorney general said.
Franklin Township police patrol Franklin and Newfield in Gloucester County and Buena Borough, which neighbors Buena Vista Township in Atlantic County.
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