Camden cop shot, nude man dead

A confrontation this morning in Camden has left a female police officer shot in the head and a nude man dead.

The officer, identified as Rominita Rivera, was taken to Cooper University Hospital's trauma unit for treatment, where she was in serious condition.

Rivera has been with the department for 15 years, said police. According to FOP president John Williamson, Rivera is married and has two children.

"She's a good officer," he said this afternoon. "She is dedicated to the department. . .and my prayers and prayers of entire police department or with her and her family. The FOP will support her and her family in this entire misfortune."

About 8 a.m., multiple calls were made to 911 about a disturbance near 10th and Morton Streets, according to Jason Laughlin, spokesman for the Camden County Prosecutor's Office.

Several officers arrived to find a naked man outside.

"He was going up and down the street, banging on doors, naked with a knife. He was threatening the whole neighborhood," Laughlin said.

The man, Lamont Morton, 19, of Camden, had already stabbed someone, who was taken to Cooper University Hospital for treatment, he said.

Somehow the female officer got into a physical altercation, with Morton attempting to get her gun, Laughlin said.

A male officer at the scene then shot Morton multiple times as he was still grappling with her, Laughlin said. That officer was identified by three police sources as Dexter Miller, a veteran of the Camden police.

"I know he was shot himself answering a call on Marlton Pike back in the 90's before I retired from the force," said Councilman Gilbert "Whip" Wilson who said Miller had been with the department for some time.

The female officer was also struck by gunfire, but police are investigating whether she was accidentally shot by the male officer or whether her own gun discharged, Laughlin said.

Around 9:30 a.m., the body of the deceased, a black male, could be seen lying face down on a sidewalk at the scene. As authorities briefly lifted a white sheet off the body, he appeared to be unclothed.

The body was removed shortly afterward.

A woman at the scene, Geneva Smith, 23, told authorities and others gathered that Morton was the boyfriend of her sister, who lives in a nearby house.

The area was cordoned off as members of the Camden police, the New Jersey state police and the Camden County Prosecutor's Office investigated.

More details are expected to emerge at a 2 p.m. news conference. The man Morton had stabbed earlier in the day was seen leaving Cooper Hospital early this afternoon with his arm in a sling. He left in a police car, accompanied by detectives.

Staff writer Dwight Ott contributed to this article.