Police fatally shoot knife-wielding man during standoff
MANCHESTER TOWNSHIP, N.J. (AP) — Police fatally shot a knife-wielding man who threatened officers and held his girlfriend hostage during a four-hour standoff at a southern New Jersey mobile home park, authorities said.
Michael Laniado, 27, died after the standoff in Manchester Township early Saturday.
Township police had gone to the park to arrest Laniado's live-in girlfriend, 25-year-old Shyna Palmieri, who was wanted on a warrant. The couple, though, barricaded themselves inside their mobile home, and officers soon heard screaming and objects being smashed, authorities said. The couple then started hurling items at police, including small appliances and a spear, authorities said.
The Ocean County SWAT team soon responded, and a hostage negotiator tried unsuccessfully for a couple of hours to persuade the pair to surrender.
Concerns about Palmieri's safety eventually led authorities to fire tear gas into the mobile home. Laniado soon came out holding Palmieri at knifepoint, saying he would kill her.
Laniado eventually tossed the knife over his shoulder as if to surrender, but he pulled out another knife when officers tried to arrest him, authorities said. Some officers then fired nonlethal dummy rounds at Laniado, but they had no effect and he kept moving toward them, authorities said. At least one officer then fired shots at Laniado, who was hit several times.
Laniado was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead a few hours later.
Both knives were recovered at the scene, authorities said. The second knife was described as a large karambit knife, which is a martial knife with a curved blade.
No officers were injured. Authorities said Palmieri was taken into custody, but it wasn't clear Sunday whether she would face any charges stemming from the standoff.
The shooting is under investigation by the Attorney general's shooting response team.