Jersey City police officers responding to a domestic dispute Tuesday night shot a woman in self-defense after she slashed two officers with a large knife, they said.
According to Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio, the police arrived at 87 Van Wagenen Ave. after the woman’s husband called to say that he was threatened by his wife wielding a knife. DeFazio said police on the scene found that Martina Brown, 58, had locked herself in her apartment and refused to answer the door.
DeFazio said the Emergency Services Unit (ESU) was called in. When Brown refused to answer the door again, ESU officers then used tools to get the door open. DeFazio said when police entered the apartment, Brown was still wielding the large knife.
DeFazio said police used “non-lethal” methods to disarm Brown including negotiation but Brown instead allegedly stabbed one officer in the forehead. DeFazio said when officers tried to disarm her a second time, she lunged again and allegedly slashed another officer and that’s when an officer fired at Brown. Brown was pronounced dead at the Jersey City Medical Center at 9:57 p.m.
DeFazio said information ascertained by investigators at the scene found that Brown had a history of mental illness.
The investigation into the shooting is ongoing. – Ricardo Kaulessar