New Jersey police officer indicted on manslaughter charge in fatal 2021 shooting
Salvatore Oldrati was charged with manslaughter for killing 49-year-old Charles Sharp
A Gloucester County police officer has been indicted on a manslaughter charge in the fatal shooting of a homeowner who had called the department for assistance during a suspected burglary, according to authorities.
Mantua Township Police Officer Salvatore Oldrati is accused of killing 49-year-old Charles Sharp III on Sept. 14, 2021, and faces up to 10 years in prison, state Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin announced Wednesday.
Platkin said in a statement that Sharp’s life had been cut short by one of the very officers he relied on to help him.
“When residents call 911 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,” Platkin said in a statement. “Tragically, that did not happen here.”
After Sharp reportedly witnessed two burglars in his backyard shortly after 1:30 a.m., one of whom had a handgun, he told a police dispatcher, Oldrati and another Mantua Township officer arrived at the residence on Elm Avenue, according to the Attorney General’s Office.
The events took a turn when the second officer, Cpl. Robert Layton, yelled that Sharp, who was standing in the front yard, had “a handgun on him,” according to the AG Office’s statement. Oldrati fired several rounds, striking Sharp while he was still on the phone with the dispatcher, according to the statement. A replica .45-caliber firearm was recovered near Sharp, who died at a hospital.
Investigators determined that Oldrati gave no verbal commands or warnings before shooting Sharp within seconds of exiting his police vehicle. Those actions led the grand jury to find the shooting unjustified, the AG’s Office said.
A 2019 New Jersey directive requires that grand juries investigate cases in which law enforcement officers fatally shoot civilians.