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A South Jersey police officer fatally shot a knife-wielding man, the state AG’s Office says

Haddon Township police responding to a call about an attempted burglary early Sunday at an apartment building encountered a man in the stairwell who was “armed with a knife,” the AG's Office said.

File photo of crime scene tape.
File photo of crime scene tape.Read moreAlejandro A. Alvarez / Staff Photographer

A Haddon Township police officer fatally shot a man armed with a knife early Sunday morning, the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office said.

Around 1 a.m. Sunday, the Haddon Township Police Department received a call reporting an attempted burglary underway at an apartment building on West Crystal Lake Avenue in the Westmont section, according to a statement issued by the AG’s Office.

Responding officers met a man in the stairwell who was “armed with a knife,” according to the statement, and an officer shot him “during an interaction.”

The officers administered medical care to the injured man while awaiting emergency medical personnel, the statement said. The man was then transported to Cooper University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead about an hour later.

Police found a knife at the scene, according to the AG statement.

The police have not released the names of the man who died or the police officer who shot him.

The AG’s Office is handling the investigation, as required by New Jersey law in circumstances of fatal shootings by law enforcement officers. A grand jury will assess the investigation’s results to decide whether any officers involved in the shooting should be indicted.