GUNMAN KILLED
Man barricaded in Panera killed by police in Princeton >>
PRINCETON » A standoff situation that lasted five hours at the Panera Bread near Princeton University’s campus is over after police shot and killed the gunman, authorities said.
New Jersey Attorney General’s Office spokesman Peter Aseltine confirmed the conclusion of the standoff shortly after 5 p.m. on Tuesday. He said the Attorney General’s Office Shooting Response Team is investigating the incident as a “fatal police-involved shooting.”
Police swarmed the Panera at 136 Nassau St. after the armed man entered the establishment at approximately 10 a.m., the attorney general’s office said Tuesday night in a statement.
Authorities said customers and employees were able to flee the building as police secured the perimeter.
At 2:45 p.m., police said the standoff was “continuing” but added the situation was “contained within the store.” Police said they were continuing to negotiate with the suspect.
However, authorities said “negotiators attempted unsuccessfully to get the suspect to surrender peacefully.” The standoff ended shortly before 3 p.m. when the suspect was fatally shot by police.
The gunman, whose identity was withheld pending notification to his family, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Authorities did not release any other information as the investigation is ongoing.
Princeton Police Department’s Twitter account advised residents to stay away from Nassau Street near Washington and Witherspoon as officers flooded the area shutting it down to traffic.
Princeton University evacuated the Henry House and Scheide Caldwell House, which are closest to the Panera Bread. Police also shut down buildings near the restaurant.
The eatery is located across the street from the university.
Princeton University sent out a notification to students “incorrectly” stating “shots had been reported and a shelter-in-place order was issued,” the university tweeted.
“No shots were fired; there is no shelter-in-place order,” Princeton University wrote shortly before 12:30 p.m. Thursday.
The university said it is “not known” whether the gunman had any connection to the campus. Classes are currently not in session since the university is on spring break.
During the standoff, Princeton High School Principal Gary Snyder sent out a tweet stating the school was “in ‘shelter-in-place’ status as a precaution.”
The New Jersey Attorney General’s Office reviews all police deadly force incidents under directives issued in 2006 and strengthened in 2015.
“The directive provides that unless the undisputed facts indicate that the use of force was justified under the law, the circumstances of the incident must ultimately be presented to a grand jury, composed of 23 civilians, for its independent review,” prosecutors said.