No Charges Against Cops Who Shot Morris County Man

MORRIS COUNTY, NJ — A state grand jury has voted not to file any criminal charges against police officers who fatally shot a man while trying to execute a search warrant, the Attorney General's Office announced Monday.

James Allandale, 61, of Denville, was fatally shot by two Morris County police officers at a motel in the Pine Brook section of Montville on Dec. 31, 2022, after a four-day manhunt.

Just before Allandale was killed, according to the state, police had been trying to execute a search warrant for a recent Elmwood Park attempted murder charge.

Denville Police Sgt. Fred Jackson and Morristown Police Sgt. James Krauss attempted unsuccessfully to unlock Allandale's room door with a key card, according to investigators.

However, because the door would not open, police utilized a battering ram to enter the room at 7:18 p.m., where officers found Allandale kneeling with a revolver pointing at them.

The two officers exchanged gunfire with Allandale in the motel on Route 46 in Pine Brook, leaving him dead and both officers hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, police said.

Recordings from body-worn cameras were released in February 2023. Click here to view the recordings.

According to state law, the Attorney General's Office is required to examine any death that occurs during a police encounter or while in custody and present the findings to a grand jury. The grand jury is briefed on all possible charges and legal defenses, including self-defense.

A thorough investigation was performed by the Attorney General's Office of Public Integrity and Accountability, which included witness interviews, photographs, a review of body-worn camera footage and autopsy results from the medical examiner.

After hearing the testimony and evidence, the grand jury concluded its deliberations on Oct. 30 and issued a "no bill" decision, meaning that no charges would be filed against Sgt. Jackson and Sgt. Krauss.