A Bloomfield police officer lifts a tape to permit a vehicle to pass near the Greenbrook Drive apartments.
BLOOMFIELD, NJ — A township resident was shot and killed by Bloomfield police on Friday morning, Aug. 18.
LeRoy Frank, 60, was shot following a domestic dispute with his wife, whose name was withheld. She is said to be 54 years old. A stabbing wound to her neck had been observed when police arrived. She was transported to a nearby hospital and reported in stable condition on Friday.
The couple was estranged and the incident took place in the Greenbrook Drive apartment they had shared and is currently the residence of the wife. Published reports said Frank was hit by two bullets.
According to Public Safety Director Sam DeMaio following the Township Council meeting, Monday, Aug. 21, the wife made a 9-1-1 call from a neighbor’s apartment. The couple had a brief history of domestic violence, with the wife refusing a restraining order against her husband last month. According to reports, the 9-1-1 call was made shortly after 8 a.m.
DeMaio said four Bloomfield Police Department officers entered the apartment. Two of the officers entered the bedroom where Frank was found seated, holding a knife. He had slashed his throat. DeMaio did not know why the husband had returned to the apartment or where he had been residing.
According to published reports, the officers attempted to disarm Frank, at which point he lunged at them. One of the officers fired on Frank. According to DeMaio, this officer experienced chest pains, was examined at a local hospital and released. Frank, according to reports, was pronounced dead at the scene, at 8:30 a.m.
On the day of the shooting, Lion Gate Drive, which leads into the area, was sealed off by police.
News agencies were parked at the boundary of the crime scene, a yellow, police tape, stretching across the roadway. It was lifted for officials and residents driving in and out.
The police officers involved in the incident were placed off-duty, DeMaio said. They were to meet with counselors of the COP2COP program to determine if they were fit to return to duty.
DeMaio said he spoke to the two officers who had entered the bedroom and confronted Frank. He told them that it was the actions of the suspect that determined the outcome.
“They used extreme restraint leading to the shooting,” he said.
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