Domestic-disturbance call ends with man being shot to death

MANCHESTER, N.J. - A man accused of domestic violence pointed what appeared to be a gun at police and was fatally shot by an officer, prosecutors said.

The weapon 43-year-old Richard Nordstrom had actually was an imitation, Ocean County prosecutor Marlene Lynch Ford said yesterday.

Manchester police went to Nordstrom's home about 2 p.m. Sunday after a relative called 911 and claimed Nordstrom had physically assaulted him. Family members told the officers that Nordstrom was in an unattached garage in the back of the property.

When the officers reached the garage, they saw Nordstrom holding a lighter and pouring gasoline on and around himself. They ordered him to drop the lighter, which he did.

However, Ford said, Nordstrom then pointed the fake gun at an officer, who shot him several times.

Further details on the shooting, including where Nordstrom was struck and how many shots were fired, were not disclosed.

The shooting will be reviewed by the prosecutor's office, which is standard policy for police shootings. The names of the officers were not released, and Manchester police yesterday referred all calls to the prosecutor's office.

Ford said law-enforcement agencies had gone to the home "on numerous occasions relative to Nordstrom and his involvement in incidents of a domestic nature."