NEWARK, N.J. (AP) -- An Irvington police officer, on the force for eight months, has been indicted on attempted murder for firing shots toward a crowd after she fought with her next-door neighbor.
Officer Lakizzy Carson, 25, has been suspended without pay since the May 28 shooting, in which no one was injured.
Carson faces 15 counts in the indictment handed up Tuesday by an Essex County grand jury. Attempted murder carries up to 20 years in prison. She is also charged with official misconduct, aggravated assault and weapons offenses.
The charges stem from a dispute over parking in an Irvington driveway during the crowded Memorial Day weekend, Assistant Essex County Prosecutor Greyson Hannigan told The Star-Ledger of Newark.
The officer was thrown to the ground and then went into her home, telephoned 911 and then returned outside with her police weapon and began firing toward the neighbor and others. Police recovered eight shell casings, Hannigan said.
Carson was arrested the next day following an investigation by the department’s internal affairs unit and the professional standards bureau of the prosecutor’s office.
Carson lawyer Michael Mitzner said his client was innocent of any wrongdoing.
The neighbor who was charged with assault, which is pending in Irvington Municipal Court. Crime