By Chris Sheldon | NJ.com
nj.com
WOODBRIDGE, N.J. — A Woodbridge Police sergeant who fatally shot a baseball bat-wielding man outside a local convenience store last year was indicted Monday by a state grand jury, the Attorney General’s Office said.
Marco Bruno was indicted on one count of first-degree aggravated manslaughter for the death of Aamir Allen, 35, of Carteret, according to a statement from the attorney general’s office. The office investigates any time a person is killed during an encounter with police.
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On May 29, 2025, shortly after 1 a.m., officers from the Woodbridge Police Department were dispatched to a home on East Tappen Street in response to multiple 911 calls reporting that there was an assault with injuries involving Allen, the office said.
Responding officers found Allen, who was carrying a bat while walking in the roadway, and they repeatedly ordered him to drop the bat, investigators said. Allen did not drop the bat and began walking away as officers followed him from a distance.
He stopped walking outside a closed convenience store in the Port Reading section of town, where he stood holding the bat as officers continued ordering him to drop the bat, authorities said.
Bruno responded to the scene shortly after a transmission was broadcast over the police radio reporting that Allen had struck occupied cars with the bat, the office said.
Bruno got out of his police vehicle and, after issuing several commands for Allen to drop the bat, fired six shots from his service weapon, officials said.
Allen was wounded and was transported to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick at 1:40 a.m., the office said. He was pronounced dead at 9:21 a.m.
Video footage from body-worn cameras, surveillance cameras, as well as 911 calls related to the incident were released Tuesday by the office.
Warning: The videos may be disturbing to some viewers as they include footage of a fatal shooting and include graphic language.
The footage shows Bruno running through the other officers surrounding Allen, and Bruno can be heard ordering Allen to drop the bat and then firing within seconds of issuing the command.
Allen did not appear to move toward the officers. Bruno continued to tell Allen to drop the bat after shooting him.
After hearing testimony and reviewing evidence, the grand jury finished deliberating on Monday and voted to indict Bruno.
There have been two officers in recent years to be charged with manslaughter. Former Newark Police Officer Jovanny Crespo was sentenced to prison in 2024 for shooting two men during a car chase in 2019 that left one dead and another wounded. Mantua Township Police Officer Salvatore Oldrati was charged in 2023 with manslaughter in the 2021 shooting death of Charles Sharp III, who had called 911.
First-degree aggravated manslaughter carries a sentence of 10 to 30 years in New Jersey state prison, subject to the “No Early Release Act,” and a fine of up to $200,000, the office said.
“Every day, law enforcement bears the burden and responsibility of keeping the people of New Jersey safe,” New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport said in a statement. “My office is fully committed to prosecuting this charge and ensuring that law enforcement only uses deadly force when lawful and necessary.”
Bruno is in his 17th year with the department, with a salary last year of $163,989, according to online records.
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