Somerset, NJ: Somerset man killed by Franklin police during domestic violence call had loaded gun

Published: Thursday, August 12, 2010, 8:00 AM Updated: Thursday, August 12, 2010, 8:31 AM
Jennifer Golson/The Star-Ledger

FRANKLIN TWP. (Somerset) — A veteran Franklin Township police officer fired a single shot, killing a man who pulled a loaded handgun on police who responded to a domestic violence call Tuesday night, authorities said.
Arthur McDougald, 60, was pronounced dead at the scene of the shooting outside his home on Franklin Boulevard, said acting Somerset County Prosecutor A. Peter DeMarco Jr.
"I’ve committed a sizable amount of my detective bureau to making sure this is properly and thoroughly investigated on a very fast track," DeMarco said.
The incident unfolded Tuesday at 8:45 p.m. with a 911 emergency call from a woman who said her father was assaulting her mother, DeMarco said. Police found McDougald outside and said he was upset because his wife and daughter had locked him out.
Police spoke to the wife and then told McDougald he was being arrested for domestic violence, DeMarco said. He became angry and ran.
"While the officers attempted to stop Mr. McDougald at the front of the residence, Mr. McDougald drew a small-caliber handgun," DeMarco said. When he pointed the gun at police, a 25-year veteran officer fired one round from his service weapon at McDougald.
According to one of the detectives, DeMarco said, "that bullet caused the fatality."
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The investigation will determine whether the shooting was justified, but DeMarco noted the evidence. "The gun that Mr. McDougald possessed, a .22-caliber, five-shot pistol, was loaded with three live rounds of ammunition," he said.
The officers did not see any physical injuries on McDougald’s wife, and she refused medical treatment, DeMarco said.
Wednesday, a small group of people gathered in front of the large, two-story home that sits atop a hill. A man who only identified himself as McDougald’s son said he had no comment as per his mother’s wishes. Another man, who also declined to be identified, said McDougald was a good neighbor who shoveled the snow from other residents’ driveways and occasionally mowed lawns.
"He seemed like a very, very nice person," he said. "He was always working on his yard. We really admired it."
According to protocol, the officers have been placed on paid administrative leave, pending the completion of the prosecutor’s investigation, said police Lt. Robert Vornlocker.
It is not unusual for three officers to respond to a domestic violence call, DeMarco said. "This was a call that was in progress, so the police didn’t know what they were going to face," he said.
The officers brought a combined 60 years of experience to the scene, said Franklin Detective Patrick Colligan, state delegate for Policemen’s Benevolent Association Local 154. The officer who fired is a decorated "street cop" who is calm, level-headed and well known in the community.
"For those people in the community that know him, I think they’re going to understand," Colligan said. "I want them to see the results of the prosecutor’s investigation before anybody rushes to judgment."
The fatality follows two, unrelated weekend shootings in Franklin Township that left three men injured. Witnesses in those cases have proven uncooperative, the prosecutor has said.
Tuesday night’s shooting occurred as union officials were asking the township council to reinstate some of the officers who have been cut from the force. Within the past 15 months, the department has lost 19 officers, including eight recent layoffs, Colligan said. They are down to 104.
"We’ve been having overtime on almost every shift since the layoffs occurred," he said. "We have a real concern that things aren’t going to get better any time soon."
While the council would love to have the funds to afford more officers, the $52 million budget is still coming up short in terms of revenue, said Township Manager Kenneth Daly. "The chief is managing with the manpower that he has," he said. "It’s unfortunate that these incidents happened, but they’re not happening because of the force level of the police."
Overtime always increases with summer vacations, he said. This year, more officers are taking their vacations now in case the Legislature limits the amount of time that retiring officers can take with them as part of their pay.