Investigations into the non-fatal shooting of a burglary suspect by police are ongoing

Authorities said the investigation into the nonfatal shooting of a burglary suspect in Rumson over the weekend was ongoing. Court documents and Department of Corrections records indicated the suspect had been released from state prison in June.

“The investigation is still active and ongoing,” Christopher Swendeman, a spokesman for the Monmouth County District Attorney's Office, said in an email Sunday.

District Attorney Raymond S. Santiago announced the shooting on Friday. He said a 27-year-old Newark man was injured, but not life-threatening, in a shooting by a Fair Haven police officer during an encounter with two suspects in a moving vehicle. Santiago's statement said the shooting occurred shortly after a burglary reported at 4:45 a.m. in neighboring Rumson.

On Sunday, Swendeman declined to name the suspects or the charges against them. But a complaint filed Friday in Rumson Municipal Court charged 27-year-old Nnamdi C. Atumudo with burglary and conspiracy. A second complaint charged a second man, Rasheen Yarbrough, with the same offenses.

The names of Atumudo and Yarbrough and the charges against them were published by the Asbury Park Press on Saturday.

New Jersey Department of Corrections records show Atumudo was released from state prison on June 28 after serving 26 months on convictions for three counts of robbery related to one or more incidents in Hudson County in February 2020. Correctional records show Atumudo's 27th birthday was Friday. The correctional department had no records on Yarbrough.

The officer involved in the shooting has not been identified. Fair Lawn Police Chief Joseph McGovern did not respond to requests for comment.

The prosecutor's statement on Friday said the investigation into the shooting was being conducted “in strict compliance with New Jersey Office of the Attorney General's (OAG) Law Enforcement Directive No. 2019-4, which ensures an independent investigation of criminal cases involving police use of force or deaths in custody.” The statement also said “a certain level of misinformation” had been circulating on social media about the shooting and urged the public to avoid speculation and wait for more information.

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