Fatal SWAT shooting in Middletown under state investigation
Gunfire unleashed by a Monmouty County SWAT team officer that left a Middletown man dead before dawn today catches the attention of acting New Jersey Attorney General John J. Hoffman's office.
Scott McAllister, 39, allgedly was holding his 13-month-old son hostage at knife point inside his rented house on Bayside Parkway for several hours before the county Emergency Response Team stormed the dwelling at about 4:30 AM. The situation developed from an argument with the infant's mother, according to information from Hoffman's office.
Investigators say that Middletown police responded to a 911 call regarding a domestic dispute at about 11:30 PM Tuesday. McAllister was locked inside the house. The mother told police that she had fled the dwelling, that McAllister was drunk, had beaten her, and threatened to use a knife on the youngster.
When McAllister refused to open the door, police summoned the county Emergency Response Team and a hostage negotiator. The situation climaxed about five hours after it erupted, when the SWAT team barged in and one member fired, authorities said. McAllister is believed to have been holding the knife.
The baby was not hurt, authorities said.
The Attorney General's Shooting Response team, now reviewing the incident, consits of deputy attorneys general, detectives of the Division of Criminal Justice (DCJ) and the New Jersey State Police Major Crimes Unit. It is employed for investigations of shootings involving state and county law enforcement.