Exclusive video raises questions about officer's death Friday, February 22, 2013 Jeff Pegues Web produced by Jennifer Matarese, Eyewitness News JERSEY CITY (WABC) -- The widow of a Jersey City Police officer killed in hail of gunfire is asking disturbing questions about her husband's death. Marc DiNardo was shot in 2009 after he and other cops stormed the apartment of a robbery suspect. He and an accomplice came out blazing. It was chaos on July 16th, 2009. Jersey City's emergency service unit raids an apartment building on Reed Street. They were trying once and for all to capture two armed suspects. They'd been caught on surveillance video unleashing a barrage of bullets in the direction of undercover cops. By the time it was all over, five officers had been shot. One officer was killed, Marc Anthony DiNardo, Mary's husband. Almost four years later, she wants to know if department commanders made mistakes that day that cost Marc his life. "I want to know. I have a right to know why my husband was killed. I have the right to know what happened. And I don't know why nobody wants to tell me," Mary DiNardo said. There is surveillance video of the moments leading up to the deadly shootout. The suspects were being closely monitored by surveillance cameras. The video shows them moving their car, going into a building, and then the beginning of the shootout. The exclusive video also shows cops setting up a perimeter, monitoring the rear of the building where the suspects were hold up, until the ESU team moves in. The ambulance comes next after the shootout is over. "The department has got to look at this in a couple of ways. Was the training adequate? What can we learn from this?" said Joe Giacalone, professor at John Jay College. Since the shooting, Jersey City Police have not revealed information about lessons learned. But privately, members of the tactical team tell Eyewitness News that they "lacked training", information about the location of the suspects, and they say it led to "flawed decision making". Chief Tom Comey released a statement denying all that saying, "It was a methodical search of the building. All officers involved, were qualified and competent to make the entry. The response was appropriate given the situation and the manner in which it unfolded." But Mary DiNardo still has questions about how it all unfolded, as did Marc's dad, Paul. He is a former Jersey City Police officer who said about the department, "They still won't come clean." He died on Christmas Day still wondering when Mary and Marc's children would get the answers they want. "I want to know the truth and maybe I can make a difference for those guys down there. So it won't happen to anyone else. So nobody else is not going to grow up without a father and lose their husband or their wife," Mary DiNardo said. http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?sec ... cal/new_jersey&id=9003457

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Eyewitness News Exclusive
By Jeff Pegues

JERSEY CITY (WABC) -- Police officers dread internal reviews and this one is especially difficult for the Jersey City Police department.

They are still mourning a fallen officer, but they are also now facing tough questions whether commanders made tactical errors as they carried out the operation.

"It was a bloodbath." That is how some witnesses described the shootout between two violent suspects and the Jersey City police officers who responded to the scene.

On July 16, there was a barrage of gunfire at Reed and Bergen Avenue. When the smoke cleared the two suspects were dead, and five officers were shot, one of them fatally.

Officer Marc DiNardo was a husband and father of three young children.

Jersey City's police chief tells me his department is close to releasing the results of an internal review.

The review comes amid a growing chorus of criticism that tactical errors may have been made.

"Tactically no. I do not believe there was any error," Chief Thomas Comey said. In this interview, initially the chief denied that mistakes had been made. He said that it's easy to second guess his commander's decisions.

But multiple independent law enforcement experts have told Eyewitness News the situation is typically handled differently.

On July 16th, the suspects were armed and obviously a threat, but they didn't have hostages. That raises a critical question. Did Jersey City Police rush into the building, putting too many lives at risk?

Experts we consulted say police had two things working for them -- a safe distance from the suspects and, second and perhaps most importantly, time.

"Because time gives you everything. Time to clear your head, create a plan to secure the area, shut down basic needs, establish communications. Time and distance are the two things that are most important," said John Shane, who teaches at John Jay College of criminal justice.

Sources say The Jersey City Police internal review will focus on the actions of the officers and commanders from the beginning to the end of the shootout.

Although at first he told me tactical errors weren't made, in the same interview the chief backtracked.

"I would have to say, until I have all the information in hand, I'd be remiss if I said yes or no," Comey said.

Sources say the results of the review will soon be made public, perhaps answering critical questions about what happened on that tragic day.

Eyewitness News has learned that police have videotape of the early stages of the shootout.

They plan on releasing it. Sources say the video shows a gun battle between one of the officers and one of the suspects.

It is, they say, further evidence that they handled the situation the right way. One source said, "This wasn't a hostage situation. It was combat."

http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/local&id=6950906

i hope that if any errors were made tactically, they are brought to the surface and discussed. this won't bring back the fallen officer, but it can prevent situations like this from occurring in the future

As a long time Jersey City resident I have had my interactions with the JCPD on several occasions. As I have stated before some have been good and some have been bad. I think that perhaps one of the problems is the morale of both the police and Jersey City residents. For too long there has been an us vs. them attitude from both sides of the aisle. Cops are under tremendous pressure and civilians demand quick action from their tax dollars. Perhaps it is time for all law-abiding citizens to make an extra effort to thank our Police officers. Perhaps it is time for both sides to extend a hand and show that we are people just like you and we are not your enemy. The next time you see an officer take some time to say Thank You. Let them know that you are there for them as much as they are there for you.

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Me too, Jenn.

Thank you for posting that Pinky, I'm totally sobbing here thinking about his widow and those sweet sweet children. My thoughts are with them all.

Police, well-wishers pack Jersey City for funeral for fallen officer Marc DiNardo

Scenes from Detective Marc DiNardo's funeral procession

RIP Detective DiNardo, Thank you for everything you have done for us.

yes, It took an hour for me to just get out of Jersey City.

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Yes

Yes. Today is the funeral.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009 ... fallen_jersey_city_1.html

On my way to the path today traffic was blocked off all around Journal Square. There was a funeral procession with police in full dress uniform. Does anyone know was this the slain officers funeral? There was a very somber vibe all around the square. SO sad.

http://www.nj.com/opinion/jjournal/ed ... 48157547175161.xml&coll=3

The Jersey Journal
IN OUR OPINION
Detective DiNardo
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
forever Jersey City

Do you want to know about Jersey City? Then you have to know about people like Marc Anthony DiNardo. He is this city's every son, husband, father, and add hero to that list.

Police Detective DiNardo, 37, a member of the police Emergency Services Unit, was reported yesterday to be under death's shadow just two days short of his birthday. He was wounded in a shootout last week in a Reed Street apartment that left four other law enforcement officers injured and two suspects dead.

The son of a retired city police lieutenant, Paul DiNardo, and his mother, Mary, Marc grew up on Kensington Avenue. The uncle of Marc's father was the late Peter DiNardo, who was once the Hudson County sheriff. The young man went to School 17, Hudson Catholic High School, as did his close friends, and worked as a sheriff dispatcher while at St. Peter's College.

"He was one of the nicest people you would ever meet - an honest, decent human being," said Police Officer James Carroll, who hung out with his older brother and his sibling's best pal, Marc. So many other police officers made similar glowing statements about the 10-year veteran officer, with such conviction, that you knew it was true. The fact that DiNardo's organs will be donated to help others says much about the man and his family.

Detective DiNardo joins a long line of peace officers killed in action that begins with the city's watchmen of the 1880s.

Marc is Edward O'Brien, the first reported city officer to die on duty in 1880.

He is also Robert Nguyen and Shawn Carson, who tragically died on Christmas Day in 2005 when their ESU truck plunged into the Hackensack River, unaware the bridge had been raised.

Detective DiNardo, a father of three, is forever Jersey City.

At times like these, words are never as powerful as the grief being experienced by the DiNardo family and members of the Jersey City Police Department.



?2009 Jersey Journal
? 2009 NJ.com All Rights Reserved.

Chilling. A wife and three kids. I'm sure the force knows how to support them.

Jersey City Officer Marc DiNardo dies from shootout wounds
by The Star-Ledger Continuous News Desk
Tuesday July 21, 2009, 10:17 AM

JERSEY CITY -- Police officer Marc DiNardo, one of five officers shot in a fierce gun battle in the city last week, has died after days on life support, the mayor said today.

DiNardo, 37, a father of three and a 10-year veteran of the force, was hit in the face during the shootout with two suspects in a Reed Street apartment. He was the most seriously injured of the officers. The two suspects were killed at the scene.

Joseph Scott, president and chief executive officer of Jersey City Medical Center, said DiNardo's family is donating his organs.

DiNardo, who would have turned 38 tomorrow, is survived by his wife, two daughters, ages 4 and 1, a 3-year-old son and his parents. His father is a retired Jersey City police lieutenant.

The shootout began around 6:45 a.m. Thursday, when DiNardo and other members of an elite emergency-services unit raided Hassan Shakur's and Amanda Anderson's apartment after Shakur shot two officers on the street earlier in the morning. Camacho used a battering ram to break open the door, and DiNardo carried an entry shotgun.

Authorities said DiNardo's heart stopped repeatedly in the hours after he was shot, calling it a "miracle" he made it through surgery.

Officer Michael Camacho, 25, a five-year police veteran who was shot in the neck, was upgraded over the weekend from critical to serious but guarded condition at the hospital. The other three officers were treated at the Jersey City hospital and released.

-The Associated Press contributed to this report.

I was reading some of the posts on NJ.com. The fights are getting out of hand there. Lots of back-and-forth about proper SWAT procedure, etc. I think they're not from here. It's too remote for lots of those folks.

I'm glad we didn't fuss with that. It was getting too political here anyway. But, there will eventually be an investigation, I bet.

Ugh. What a shame. This week has been real crud for this town.

If any of you Listers know anyone at the JCPOBA, they should have a link on their website to allow donations to be charged to debit or credit cards - the news stations include them in their stories and technically it can't be that hard to do - even the tiniest charities have them. If you're a website techie, maybe you could do it for them.

This fund is a worthwhile effort and deserves to be as successful as possible.

Marc DiNardo died.

The family request that in lieu of flowers that donations be made to a scholarship fund established by The Jersey City Police Officers' Benevolent Association. All contributions should be made to the JCPOBA, Marc Anthony DiNardo Memorial Fund, P.O. Box 17395, Jersey City, New Jersey, 07307.

In addition, the POBA and the New Jersey Blood Services will sponsor a blood drive in honor of Detective Marc Anthony DiNardo and the other officers shot in the line of duty. The blood donations will be utilized to replenish the supply of blood used by the Jersey City Medical Center during this tragic event. The blood services trailer will arrive at the fire house/OEM Headquarters at 715 Summit Avenue on Wednesday, July 22, 2009, from 10 am to 7 pm. Anyone requesting to make an appointment can do so by calling 1-888-933-2566.

HERE IS THE UPDATE GUYS

http://www.1010wins.com/Death--Immine ... ty-Police-Officer/4831582

Jersey City Police Officer Marc DiNardo is expected to die from gunshot wounds
by Rohan Mascarenas and Brian T. Murray/The Star-Ledger
Monday July 20, 2009, 4:02 PM

JERSEY CITY -- Jersey City Police Officer Marc DiNardo, one of five officers shot in a fierce gun battle in the city last week, is on life support and not expected to survive, officials said in an afternoon press conference.

DiNardo, 37, a father of three and a 10-year veteran of the force, had been hit in the face with two shotgun blasts during the shootout in a Reed Street apartment.

"His demise is imminent," said Jersey City Police Chief Tom Comey. "The miracle we were hoping for will not come to pass."

Joseph Scott, president and chief executive officer of Jersey City Medical Center, said DiNardo's family has agreed to donate his organs.

DiNardo was the most seriously injured among the five officers shot in the gunfight, which also left the two suspects dead.

Authorities said his heart stopped repeatedly in the hours after he was shot, calling it a "miracle" he made it through surgery. Early today spokesman Lt. Edgar Martinez said DiNardo was in "extremely critical condition."

A second officer, Michael Camacho, 25, a five-year veteran who was shot in the neck, was upgraded over the weekend from critical to "serious but guarded" condition at the hospital. Scott said he was moved from the intensive care unit.

The two suspects, Hassan Shakur, 32, and Amanda G. Anderson, 22, were killed in their third-floor apartment during what became the second of two separate exchanges of gunfire that erupted early Thursday morning during a police stake-out in Jersey City. One police official described the carnage that unfolded as a "bloodbath."

Autopsy results released today showed 19 bullets were recovered from his body, while Anderson was killed by a single gunshot to the base of her skull.

The shootout began after two Jersey City police officers, Detective Marc Lavelle and Lt. Michael Kelly, had spent hours watching a parked car believed to have been used in a getaway last month from a separate robbery and shooting on June 18. In that previous case, two people ambushed a van driver as he arrived for work at 30 Minute Oil Change on Broadway in an industrial area of the city.

One of the attackers fired a shotgun, point-blank, into the victim's stomach. The victim was comatose for two weeks and remains in Jersey City Medical Center.

The stake-out ended at about 5:15 a.m., when Shakur and Anderson, wearing hooded robes, approached the car, got inside and moved it across the street to comply with alternate parking regulations on the street. As the couple stepped back out of the car, officers Kelly and Lavelle ordered them to halt, and the shooting began.

Shakur, who also went by the name Hassan Hosendove, wheeled and pulled a pump-action shotgun from under his arm, according to police. He began firing immediately as he and Anderson fled to their apartment building.

Lavelle was grazed in the leg and one of the several blasts fired by Shakur also shattered the windshield of the officers' unmarked police car. Shakur and Anderson then fled upstairs to their third-floor apartment on Reed Street, where dozens of backup police officers from Jersey City, the Hudson County Sheriff's Office and the Port Authority eventually arrived.

By 6:45 a.m., police had evacuated part of the building and called for the couple to surrender before eventually smashing through the door of the apartment unit. Shakur opened fire again, hitting DiNardo and Camacho.

A third Jersey City officer, Frank Molina, 35, a 15-year veteran, also was shot in the back. But he was protected by his bulletproof vest. Port Authority Policeman Dennis Mitchell was shot in the arm, and he was treated and released from a hospital on Thursday.

Shakur and Anderson were identified by fingerprint records and family members on Friday.

Here is a good way to remember the officer if someone that knows him well enough would like to create a memorial.

The Officer Down Memorial Page, Inc., (ODMP) is a non-profit organization dedicated to honoring America's fallen law enforcement heroes. More than 19,000 officers have made the ultimate sacrifice in the United States and it is with great honor that the ODMP pays a lasting tribute to each of these officers by preserving their memories within its pages. All who visit the ODMP will be deeply moved by the countless stories of selfless courage and heroism exhibited by officers who lost their lives while serving and protecting the citizens of this great nation.


http://www.odmp.org/


http://www.odmp.org/officer/17585-patrolman-thomas-j.-mcmeekin-jr.

I think with a little bit of reflection on the situation what the family is going through right now is pretty clear, and having said that it's better to just let things unfold themselves as the family wants.

I'd encourage anyone with "information" to keep it to themselves, particularly those claiming knowledge that is incomplete at best & completely incorrect at worst.

Why people want to be the first to announce bad news I just don't know.

There was a mass today at Saint Peter's chapel for Mark (his mother, Mary, is an employee of St. Peter's). The family is expected to make an announcement of some sort at 3:00 PM.

Let us all keep the Dinardos in our prayers today.

Any real facts as 2 what's goin on? Myself, I haven't heard anything today, just that as of last night Dinardo had massive brain swelling & was not breathing on his own, he was on the machine.

damn that sucks

I heard from someone who saw my posting, I was told the officer did passed away. It is sad there is problem with the facts.

It was reported on New 12 New Jersey, Channel 62 on Comcast that reports of Detective Marc Dinardo passing away is false.

I lived in Williamsburg for many years. Have you ever been to Bed Stuy right next to Williamsburg? Bed-Stuy, is a neighborhood in transition -- not long ago it was known as the largest ghetto in the US -- bigger than south Bronx. For that matter Williamsburg wasn't very nice either 10 years back!

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the channel 11 news did not report that Dinardo was doing better.

They said he was still in extremely critical condition and that there had been several police and city officials streaming in and out of his room this morning. The inference was not what any of us were hoping for...

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You're posting rumors of your "friend's" death on an internet message board, without confirmation?

God help me if ever have friends like this.