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Listen to the 911 recording and view the body camera footage here. Warning: Graphic footage.
A state grand jury voted to file a criminal charge against a police officer who shot and killed a man who had called 911 to report intruders outside his home in Mantua Township, New Jersey, back in 2021.
New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin announced Wednesday that the grand jury returned an indictment against Mantua Township Police Officer Salvatore Oldrati, charging him with manslaughter in connection to the death of Charles Sharp III, 49, of Mantua.
“Mr. Sharp was shot multiple times outside his own home by one of the very officers he had called upon for help. His life was cut short seconds after Officer Oldrati arrived at the scene, while Mr. Sharp was still on the phone with a police dispatcher,” Attorney General Platkin said. “When residents call 9-1-1 for service, they are concerned, they need assistance, they seek protection — and they trust the officers responding to their calls will respond accordingly and help them. Tragically, that did not happen here.”
The incident occurred shortly after 1:30 a.m. on September 14, 2021, after Sharp called 911 to report that two men and a woman were trespassing on his property on Elm Avenue in Mantua, including a person armed with a gun.
“One guy was in my shed. In my shed door,” Sharp told the dispatcher in the five-minute call released by the Attorney General’s Office. “I came around to go outside to confront them. And there was a guy in my truck.”
Sharp told the dispatcher he tried to scare the intruders off by throwing a quarter stick of dynamite at them. He also claimed that he had a handgun that was passed down to him by his grandfather.
“My grandfather willed me a .45. I don’t know what I’m allowed to do about that,” Sharp told the dispatcher. “So I threw a couple quarter sticks at them.”
Sharp remained on the phone with the dispatcher and stood in his front yard as Officer Oldrati and another Mantua Police Officer arrived at his home in response to the call, investigators said.
Body camera footage shows the officers arriving at Sharp’s home and spotting him outside. While Oldrati exited his police vehicle, the other officer yelled, “he’s got a handgun on him, right there,” investigators said. Officer Oldrati then pulled out his weapon and fired multiple shots at Sharp, shooting him at least once, according to officials. Investigators said a detailed replica of a .45-caliber semi-automatic handgun was then found near Sharp.
The officers rendered first aid before Sharp was rushed to Jefferson Washington Township Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 2:49 a.m. that morning, investigators said.
The Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA) investigated the incident and presented their findings to the grand jury. The investigation included interviews of witnesses, collection of forensic evidence, a review of the video footage and analysis of the autopsy results. After hearing testimony and evidence, the grand jury concluded deliberations on Monday and determined a manslaughter charge against Officer Oldrati was warranted.
“Less than five seconds elapsed between when Officer Oldrati stepped out of his police vehicle and when he began firing at Mr. Sharp.” Thomas J. Eicher, Executive Director of OPIA, said. “Officer Oldrati gave no verbal commands or warnings before shooting Mr. Sharp. The grand jury determined that his conduct was not justified and warranted the return of an indictment for manslaughter.”
If convicted, Oldrati could face up to 10 years in prison.
Neighbor Grace Vulpio told NBC10 Sharp was a military veteran who was well-liked in the neighborhood.
“He was a nice guy,” she said. “He just moved in, just got a new dog, so that’s how we kind of talked because the dogs were together.”
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