State releases body cam video from Ocean County police shooting after woman’s 911 call
⚠️ State investigators released body camera video and 911 recordings from the March police shooting.
➡️ Officers responded after Susanne Clarke, 55, called 911 saying she thought she was having a heart attack.
🔴 Body cams show an officer saying he sees a dog inside with a knife wound, which the victim's family says is not true.
State investigators have released body-worn camera footage from the police response to an Ocean County woman’s 911 call for help — which ended with the woman being shot and killed.
The family of the victim has come out strongly against the state attorney general's statement on the shooting death, saying that Clarke's killing was unjustifiable and the result of "dreadful decisions by the Lacey Township Police Department."
Clarke's family slams state AG statement, calls killing unjustifiable
“Ms. Clarke was a 55-year-old mother of two, had no criminal history, owned her home, and operated a small business. Her avoidable death is the foreseeable consequence of feverish and unconstitutional policing,” according to a statement from the family’s attorney, Joshua Moskovitz, as received by New Jersey 101.5 late Thursday night.
"Her family calls on lawmakers to ensure that the Lacey Township Police Department and the officers responsible for Ms. Clarke’s death are brought to justice," the statement continues.
“We are outraged and saddened by what these videos show,” Moskovitz also said.
The full family statement is below.
Read More: NJ police share 911 calls, bodycam video from Piscataway killings
Initial 911 call is hung up, sparking the police reponse
“Hello — I think I’m having a heart attack,” Susanne Clarke said in her emergency call around 2 a.m. on March 16.
When asked what the address was and where she was, the 55-year-old woman answered “I don’t know.”
After a dispatcher asked a few more times about the location, she asked the caller’s name.
Clarke is heard answering “Susanne Clarke” before hanging up on the dispatcher.
The call and police radio transmissions were also released to the public on Tuesday.
Representatives of Clarke’s family were given the opportunity to review the released recordings, first.
Officers spent more than 30 minutes trying to reach Clarke
After the hang-up, dispatch requested police to do a wellness check and four officers from Lacey Township police responded to the home on Hemlock Drive, in the Lanoka Harbor section.
However, when officers arrived, Clarke yelled from inside for them to go away.
The released footage from the body cams show four officers, voicing concern to Clarke and each other for the erratic behavior.
They tried repeatedly to convince Clarke to come to the front door, to show them that she was okay.
At least once, she yelled they were harassing her, to which the officers said that she had called them for help.
EMS personnel also responded to the scene, but never made contact with Clarke.
The officers intermittently heard Clarke shouting at them to leave.
As seen in the video footage, they circled the single-floor home multiple times, peering into its windows and making note of the woman moving within her house, at times lying on the floor.
“I was trying to talk to her through there — Susanne,” Officer Dallas Gant says in the released footage from his own body cam, which is listed as "BWC One."
“I don’t know if she maybe took something,” Gant says in the footage to another officer, “the way it came in - it’s not normal.”
“She’s laying on the ground, we’re going in the house,” he says, about 17 minutes into their response.
Still no access was gained as none of the windows were able to be opened from the outside.
Body camera shows dog walking, family of Clarke says cop claim of wound was false
“She stabbed the f***ing dog,” Gant says just over 30 minutes into the police response at Hemlock Drive.
“There’s a knife in the dog," he says as a dog is seen walking in view of the rear sliding glass door.
The released footage does not show a full, clear view — and Clarke's family has said that the animal was not stabbed.
"There is no truth to the claim that Ms. Clarke stabbed her dog. As Ms. Clarke’s friends and family know, Ms. Clarke was a dog lover and she had recently started her own dog treat business. The Clarke family’s own investigation confirms Ms. Clarke’s dog was not stabbed. The Attorney General chose not to repeat Officer Gant’s false claim that there was a 'knife in the dog.' Instead,the Attorney General says Officer Gant, 'stated that he observed a dog with a knife wound.' The video proves otherwise," Moskovitz said.
Gant walks to the front and tells another officer, before they both try to kick in the front door.
Gant then tries to enter the home through a side window, around 2:44 a.m.
“What are you doing — she’s coming at me with a knife,” Gant says on his body cam, stumbling back out of the window.
He turns and moves toward the backyard, as another officer from the yard yell “Drop the knife.”
Clarke slides open the rear door as one officer backs up quickly.
She runs toward the front with a knife and a reusable shopping bag in her hands, as seen in the cam footage.
Gant fires at her — and four gunshots are heard in the video.
About a minute later, as officers prepare to begin first aid, one is heard saying there’s a shot to the abdomen.
Clarke was pronounced dead outside her home at 3:24 a.m.
As of Tuesday, there was no further information released by police. The state’s investigation into the police-involved shooting is still ongoing.
“The Attorney General’s statement about these events has only exacerbated the Clarke’s family grief and dismay,” Moskovitz said.
“The videos do not support the Attorney General’s claim that Ms. Clarke left her house ‘with a knife in her hand and advanced toward multiple officers.’ It is clear from the body-worn camera video labeled ‘BWC 4’that Ms. Clarke tried to avoid the officers," he continued.
"That video shows Ms. Clarke running away from the officer at the back door. When she turned to leave her backyard, the officers along the side of her house moved toward her and shot her. The fact that Officer Gant chose to shoot and kill Ms. Clarke – as opposed to using a taser or any other nonlethal means – is indefensible," the family's attorney continued.
Read More: NJ police ID Lacey Township woman killed by cop after 911 call
Family remembers victim as loving mother and entrepreneur
Clarke had raised her two children in Chesterfield and recently moved to Lanoka Harbor to be closer to the beach, according to an online obituary.
She was a licensed optician and was also launching her own small business as a dog lover.
“She was a loving mother, devoted daughter, cherished friend and vibrant presence in the lives of all who knew her. Sue had a passion for animals and had been excitedly working on starting her own dog treat business, sharing samples with her dogs, granddog, neighbors, and friends,” the obituary said.
Clarke’s surviving loved ones include her two adult children, her ex-husband, stepfather and two sisters.
Released portions of the video footage and police radio transmissions were shared online by the state Attorney General's Office.
Full statement from the family of Susanne Clarke, responding to the Attorney General’s statement
On March 16, 2026, Susanne Clarke was unjustifiably shot and killed outside her own home by Lacey Township police officers. Ms. Clarke was a 55-year-old mother of two, had no criminal history, owned her home, and operated a small business. Her avoidable death is the foreseeable consequence of feverish and
unconstitutional policing. Her family calls on lawmakers to ensure that the Lacey Township Police Department and the officers responsible for Ms. Clarke’s death are brought to justice.
On the day of her death, Ms. Clarke called 911 because she believed she was having a heart attack. When police officers arrived, it was clear Ms. Clarke was not in distress. She spoke with the officers and told them she feltfine. Despite there clearly being no emergency, Lacey Township police officers encircled Ms. Clarke’s house, attempted to force their way into the home, and harassed Ms. Clarke to come out of her house for nearly forty minutes.
Even after Ms. Clarke had told the officers repeatedly to leave her property, they remained and continued to try to force open a window. Lacey Township Police Officer Dallas Gant insisted they would not leave until Ms. Clarke came out and spoke with them – even though Ms. Clarke had come outside and told the officers she wanted them to leave.
Eventually, Officer Gant claimed Ms. Clarke stabbed her dog and that there was a “knife in the dog” – a wild and unsupported accusation, wholly contradicted by the video released today and uncorroborated by any statements of the other officers at the scene.
Officer Gant used that false claim to justify breaking into Ms. Clarke’s home in disregard of her constitutional rights. Violating Ms. Clarke’s right to be safe and secure in her own home, Officer Gant and another officer attempted to kick down Ms. Clarke’s front door. When they could not do so, Officer Gant broke open a window and climbed into Ms. Clarke’s house.
Terrified by the unlawful intrusion, Ms. Clarke picked up a kitchen knife in selfdefense and attempted to flee her home. Ms. Clarke was understandably frightened by the group of armed men breaking into her home, but she did not attempt to confront the officers.
Instead, she ran past the officer at her back door and was attempting to leave her yard when she was shot multiple times on her own property. The officers’ actions were unjustified and contrary to sound policing tactics. The officers claimed to be engaged in “community caretaking” but their own actions say otherwise. Ms. Clarke posed no danger to herself or others, and the officers chose not to wait for the crisis intervention team, which had been contacted.
Instead, the officer killed Ms. Clarke rather than help her.
Today, the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office released some of the available evidence of the events leading up to Ms. Clarke’s death. Most importantly, the videos contradict Officer Gant’s false accusation that Ms. Clarke’s dog had a knife sticking out of it.
The videos also confirm that the officers knew there was no emergency during the nearly forty minutes they remained at Ms. Clarke’s home, and the officers repeatedly attempted to break into Ms. Clarke’s home through the windows – a fact that is notably absent from the Attorney General’s statement about the videos.
Unfortunately, the Attorney General’s partial release of information fails to tell the whole story. There is no truth to the claim that Ms. Clarke stabbed her dog. As Ms. Clarke’s friends and family know, Ms. Clarke was a dog lover and she had recently started her own dog treat business. The Clarke family’s own investigation confirms Ms. Clarke’s dog was not stabbed. The Attorney General chose not to repeat Officer Gant’s false claim that there was a “knife in the dog.” Instead,the Attorney General says Officer Gant, “stated that he observed a dog with a knife wound.” The video proves otherwise.
“We are outraged and saddened by what these videos show,” said attorney Joshua S. Moskovitz. Mr. Moskovitz is a Principal of the law firm Rickner Moskovitz LLP, which represents Ms. Clarke’s family.
Mr. Moskovitz has said: “Today’s partial release of information confirms that Sue should still be alive, and her death is the result of dreadful decisions by the Lacey Township Police Department. We will continue to seek justice for Sue and demand answers and accountability from the Lacey Township Police Department.”
“The Attorney General’s statement about these events has only exacerbated the Clarke’s family grief and dismay,” said Mr. Moskovitz. “The videos do not support the Attorney General’s claim that Ms. Clarke left her house ‘with a knife in her hand and advanced toward multiple officers.’ It is clear from the body-worn camera video labeled ‘BWC 4’that Ms. Clarke tried to avoid the officers.
That video shows Ms. Clarke running away from the officer at the back door. When she turned to leave her backyard, the officers along the side of her house moved toward her and shot her. The fact that Officer Gant chose to shoot and kill Ms. Clarke – as opposed to using a taser or any other nonlethal means – is indefensible."
— Joshua Moskovitz, attorney for the family of Susanne Clarke
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