Four months after two Atlantic City police officers were wounded in a gunfight that left a 52-year-old man dead, the state has finally released the body-camera footage showing how it unfolded. The video, made public Wednesday, captures officers approaching a home on the 100 block of North Florida Avenue, forcing open its door, and then taking gunfire from inside.
The footage was released by the New Jersey Attorney General's Office as part of its ongoing investigation into the June 2 encounter, according to nj.com. The shooting happened as the Atlantic City Police Department's SWAT team and members of the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office tried to serve a search warrant at the North Florida Avenue address, per FOX 29 Philadelphia.
How the Confrontation Unfolded
Officers found the home's front door initially open, but someone inside shut it before they could enter, according to the seed reporting from NBC10 Philadelphia. Officers announced their presence and the search warrant before using a mechanical device to force the door open, the station reports. The gunman, identified as Donald Gardner — also known as Donald Capriotti — then opened fire on the officers entering the home, striking two of them.
One officer was struck in the helmet and another was shot in the leg, FOX 29 Philadelphia reported. Among the wounded was Atlantic City Police Sgt. Christian Ivanov, a 34-year-old father of three, according to nj.com's report. Officials have said the two injured officers are expected to recover, per the NBC10 Philadelphia account.
Officer Returned Fire, Killing Gardner
Robert Reynolds of the Atlantic City Police Department fired the shots that killed Gardner, according to the Attorney General's Office as cited by nj.com. Gardner was pronounced dead a short time after the shooting, officials said. The released videos show the officers approaching the home and forcing open the door, followed by someone firing at them from inside, and then the initial aftermath of the shooting, per the same NBC10 Philadelphia account.
A handgun was recovered from inside the residence, according to Daily Voice. Earlier reporting from 6abc.com had noted that, in the immediate aftermath, officials had not said who fired the shots that struck the officers or whether Gardner was armed at the time — questions the newly released footage and the Attorney General's Office's identification of Reynolds have since addressed.
A Record Marked by Conflicting Accounts
Gardner had a lengthy criminal history, though different outlets describe the details inconsistently. Daily Voice reports that Gardner first served 19 years in prison after pleading guilty to aggravated manslaughter for shooting Devon Whitehead in the head in 1993, and later served 10 years after an incident in which he ran from Egg Harbor Township police in 2013. By contrast, nj.com reports that Gardner was sentenced to 18 years in state prison in 2014 after pleading guilty to drug-distribution and felon-in-possession charges, and was released on parole in 2023, while FOX 29 Philadelphia reports that he was convicted of killing a man in 1994 and released on parole in 2012 after serving 19 years. Hoodline could not independently verify which account is correct.
What Happens Next
Under New Jersey law, the Attorney General's Office is required to investigate every officer-involved shooting and must eventually present its findings to a grand jury. The Daily Voice reporting from June noted that the investigation into the circumstances of the shooting was ongoing, and as of the bodycam release, that investigation has still not reached a public conclusion. For now, the footage offers the public its first direct look at the chaotic seconds on North Florida Avenue, even as key questions about the case await the Attorney General's final findings.
