NEED TO KNOW
- The machete-wielding man killed by police in New Jersey this week is related to the three people subsequently found dead inside a home
- Piscataway Mayor Brian C. Wahler said the victims were the armed man’s mother and grandparents
- Police encountered the man outside the home after responding to a 911 call and fatally shot him after multiple unsuccessful attempts to subdue him with Tasers
A New Jersey mayor revealed that the machete-wielding man killed by police this week murdered three relatives subsequently found inside a home.
Officers with the Piscataway Police Department responded to a home on River Road around 5:30 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 5 after receiving a 911 call from a man reporting that someone had a knife, the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office said in a press release.
At the scene, police encountered the armed suspect and fatally shot him after multiple unsuccessful attempts to subdue him with Tasers, according to reports from NJ.com, Fox 5 NY and News 12 New Jersey.
Per the attorney general’s office, police then discovered three dead people inside the property. Their cause of death has not been made public.
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While speaking to reporters outside the home on Tuesday, Jan. 6, Piscataway Mayor Brian C. Wahler said the victims were the armed man’s mother and grandparents, NJ.com and News 12 reported.
“You have to understand, there’s a husband who is about to bury a wife, parents, and a son,” said Wahler, adding that the husband of one of the victims is who called 911.
The mayor also said he believes, based on the preliminary investigation, that officers “followed every guideline and gave every available opportunity to the perpetrator,” per News 12.
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“Given the fact that the individual was carrying a machete and he’s already committed three murders inside, you know, you have to think about the officer’s health a little bit, too,” Wahler told reporters.
The Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office is investigating the deaths of the three people, per the release.
“This appears to be an isolated incident, and there is no indication of an ongoing threat to the community,” police wrote on social media Monday.
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