Use Of Deadly Force Justified In Shooting Death Of Little Egg Man - Attorney General Agrees With Prosecutor

Francis Hartnett had already slit his wrists when police entered his father's home in the Royal Timbers Apartment Complex in the late morning of Nov. 17, 2015.

His ex-wife had called Little Egg police to inform them of the incident and said he might be in the woods near the complex. Three police officers and three detectives responded and found no one in the woods.

They knocked on the door of the apartment and got no answer. The management office provided them with a key and they unlocked the door. One of the officers said "Police" and heard a man say quietly "Get out."according to an account from the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office.

The Office of the Attorney General agrees with the findings of Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph D. Coronato that the undisputed facts of this case establish that the use of deadly force by the police officers was legally justified. The Attorney General also agrees that there are no material facts in dispute with regard to the officers’ use of force so a Grand Jury presentation is not necessary, according to a statement.

The officers decided to check inside the residence to see if Harnett was injured, had committed suicide and if anyone else inside was at harm. When they stepped inside, Hartnett had a knife in his right and and yelled at the officers to leave the residence.

All three uniformed patrolmen reported that Hartnett appeared in front of them, down the short hallway, from the left hand side of the apartment. Mr. Hartnett was holding a knife in his right hand and he yelled back at the uniformed officers to get out again in an "aggressive manner.".

Hartnett was beating on his chest with his left hand, then started slowly towards the officers with the knife in his hand. They told him to stop and drop the knife. He didn't. He charged at the officers with the knife and ef

The officers retreated and fired at Harnett, as Hartnett continued to move towards them. They fired 13 times. An autopsy found that Harnett's wrists were slit and died of multiple gunshot wound - a total of 13.

A subsequent investigation concluded that Hartnett had a history of suicide attempts and had texted his ex-girlfriend a picture of his slit wrists on the day of his death.

Both the Attorney General's Office and Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph D. Coronato concluded that the Little Egg police were legally justified to shoot Harnett and protect themselves.

For additional information visit our website at www.oceancountyprosecutor.org.

Image: Patch file photo.