ELIZABETH — A woman allegedly wielding two knives was shot by an Elizabeth police officer responding to a domestic incident early yesterday morning, acting Union County Prosecutor Grace Park said.
Patrol units rushed to an apartment on Elm Street in Elizabeth shortly before 1 a.m. yesterday to encounter the woman, who allegedly reacted aggressively to the presence of officers, according to a preliminary investigation into the incident.
The officers used pepper spray in an unsuccessful attempt to subdue the woman, then tried to maneuver an object into her path in order to prevent her from attacking them, but one officer was forced to draw his firearm, the investigation indicated.
The officer fired a single round, striking the woman in the torso. She was rushed to University Hospital in Newark for emergency medical treatment and as of late Monday morning was listed in stable condition.
This incident is under investigation by the Union County Prosecutor’s Office Shooting Response Team. Anyone with information about the matter is being urged to contact Union County Prosecutor’s Office Detective Edwin Maldonado at 908-527-4359.