Grand jury clears officer who fatally shot man firing rifle in Burlington County, prosecutors say
Marvin Taylor, 57, was shot by Pemberton Township Officer Kyle McQueen in a wooded area behind a residence on Oct. 19, 2024.
A grand jury decided not to charge a police officer in Burlington County for fatally shooting a 57-year-old man who was firing a rifle during a confrontation a year ago, the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office said Thursday.
Marvin Taylor was shot by Pemberton Township Officer Kyle McQueen on Oct. 19, 2024, in a wooded area behind a residence on Woodland Avenue in the township’s Browns Mills section.
“Marvin, we are here to help you! Put the gun down now!” McQueen can be heard on bodycam video yelling at Taylor.
McQueen again orders Taylor two more times to drop his weapon. Then a single gunshot can be heard, and McQueen yells to his fellow officers, “Shots fired! Shots fired!” McQueen then fires four times at Taylor.
McQueen and other officers approach the fallen Taylor and McQueen is seen in the bodycam video picking up a rifle lying on the ground next to Taylor.
“Gun secured, suspect down,” McQueen announces.
Earlier that afternoon, volunteer firefighters and police responded to a 911 call reporting smoke coming from the residence.
A firefighter went to the backyard and encountered Taylor, who pointed a rifle at him, according to the attorney general’s statement. Responding firefighters retreated as police arrived, and a single gunshot was heard coming from the backyard.
Police used a loudspeaker to attempt to speak with Taylor, but he did not respond and officers lost sight of him, the statement said.
Pemberton Township police waited for the arrival of a crisis negotiator and tactical specialists from the New Jersey State Police. McQueen and another township officer positioned themselves in the wooded area behind the residence. Taylor was seen behind the residence armed with a rifle, the statement said.
After Taylor was shot, he was taken to Cooper University Hospital in Camden, where he was pronounced dead early that evening.
A black bolt-action rifle was found next to Taylor’s body, as well as two spent shell casings that were fired from the rifle.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and state authorities investigated the initial fire and concluded that it was started after gasoline was ignited at various locations inside the residence.