Grand Jury Declines Charges Against Fair Haven Officer Involved In 2024 Shooting

FAIR HAVEN, NJ — A Monmouth County Grand Jury has declined to file criminal charges in connection with a non-fatal police-involved shooting that took place in Rumson in 2024, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago said.

Fair Haven Police Officer Brooks Robinson’s use of deadly force was investigated by the Prosecutor’s Office Professional Responsibility Unit (PRU), operating under the supervision of the NJ Office of the Attorney General’s Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA).

According to the investigation, shortly before 4:45 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, officers from Rumson and neighboring municipalities were dispatched to two locations in Rumson for reports of two suspects involved in vehicular and attempted residential burglaries.

The first-arriving Rumson police officer encountered a suspect vehicle, which he tried to stop, but the suspect vehicle sideswiped his patrol vehicle and fled the scene, Santiago said. That same officer then gave chase in his patrol car.

While this was happening, prosecutors said Officer Robinson, who was on duty in neighboring Fair Haven, heard the burglary reports and proceeded to Rumson to help find the suspects.

Once he turned his patrol vehicle onto Avenue of Two Rivers, Robinson saw two vehicles coming towards him: the suspect vehicle and the pursuing Rumson patrol vehicle. Robinson activated his emergency lights, came to a stop and exited his vehicle.

At this point, prosecutors said the suspect vehicle slowed down and appeared to be stopping, but then accelerated forward in the direction of Robinson.

Robinson pointed his firearm at the oncoming vehicle, began to give commands to stop, and discharged his firearm, Santiago said, striking a passenger later identified as Nnamdi Atumudo, 28, of Irvington.

Following this incident, the suspect vehicle crashed and became disabled, and arriving officers began providing medical aid to Atumudo, who sustained a non-life-threatening gunshot injury to the face, prosecutors said.

A subsequent investigation involved witness interviews, review of physical evidence, mobile video recorder footage and body-worn camera footage.

The evidence, along with recorded interviews given by Robinson and a Rumson police officer who witnessed the shooting, was then presented to the Grand Jury, which declined to file criminal charges against Robinson.

According to prosecutors, Atumudo and a co-defendant identified as Rasheen Yarbrough, 21, of St. Louis, Missouri, were indicted by a Monmouth County Grand Jury and charged with committing multiple burglaries on the night of Sept. 5-6, 2024, in Rumson, Howell and Monmouth Beach.

Atumudo pleaded guilty to burglary of a motor vehicle in Howell and attempted burglary of a residence in Rumson (both third-degree crimes) and was sentenced to four years in state prison, Santiago said.

Yabrough, the driver of the vehicle that night, who was not injured, pleaded guilty to second-degree eluding and third-degree attempted burglary of a residence in Rumson and was also sentenced to four years in state prison, according to prosecutors.

The Grand Jury presentation was conducted in adherence to the Independent Prosecutor Directive, Santiago said. Pursuant to the directive, a conflicts check was conducted, and no actual or potential conflict of interest was found involving any person assigned to the investigation.

Prior to presentation to the Grand Jury, the investigation was also reviewed by OPIA Executive Personnel of the Fatal Police Encounters Unit, and the matter was presented to the Grand Jury by the Prosecutor’s Office Professional Responsibility Unit Director & Assistant Prosecutor Melanie Falco.

At the end of investigations of this nature and pursuant to the directive, OPIA determines whether any principal should be referred to the appropriate law enforcement agency for administrative review in accordance with the OAG Internal Affairs Policy & Procedures.

OPIA monitors any resulting review and takes any actions necessary to ensure that the review is completed in a timely fashion and that appropriate actions are taken based on the results, Santiago said.

To learn more, you can visit the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office website.

Previous Coverage

• Police-Involved Shooting Injures Man In Rumson
• Police Shot Rumson Burglary Suspect As Car Drove At Officer: Affidavit