NEWS

Byram man shot after threatening police

Michael Izzo
@MIzzoDR

BYRAM – A 56-year-old man died Wednesday after telling police to shoot him, pointing a shotgun at an officer and forcing the officer to fire at the man, the Sussex County Prosecutor’s Office said.

At about 3:38 p.m. Wednesday, police responded to a Laurel Trail home after receiving a 911 call from a neighbor reporting gunshots fired and a possible barricaded subject at the residence, First Assistant Prosecutor Gregory Mueller said.

Six Byram police officers and two Andover police officers responded to the scene, approached the home and took protective positions, Mueller said.

At that time, Ronald Neal, 56, exited the home and confronted the officers. He was armed with a pistol and a shotgun, and repeatedly told the officers to shoot him, Mueller said.

During the confrontation, Neal discarded the handgun, telling officers it wasn’t loaded. He then raised the shotgun, stating it was loaded, and pointed it directly at one of the officers, Mueller said.

An officer fired one round at Neal, striking him in the torso, Mueller said. It was not disclosed which officer fired the shot.

The shotgun turned out to be unloaded, Mueller said.

Neal was taken by ambulance to Hackettstown Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead shortly after his arrival.

The eight officers involved were also taken to the hospital to be checked and treated for trauma, Mueller said.

When asked if the shooting was a “suicide by cop,” Mueller said the circumstances leading to the event were under investigation and that possibility is being considered.

Mueller said the investigation will be “substantially concluded in a short period of time,” at which point the officers involved will be identified.

Since Neal exited his home and the situation became an “active event” as soon as police arrived, there was no time for an evacuation of the surrounding area, Mueller said.

Neal lived in the Laurel Trail home with his wife, but she was not home at the time of the shooting. The home had a For Sale sign in the front yard at the time of the shooting.

The shooting scene was processed by New Jersey State Police’s Crime Scene Unit, and Byram police and the officers involved in the shooting have been fully cooperative with the ongoing investigation, Mueller said.

Staff Writer Michael Izzo: 973-428-6636; mizzo@GannettNJ.com