Crime & Safety

Suspended Deptford Police Officer Indicted in Fatal Shooting

James A. Stuart was off-duty when he allegedly shot David Compton of Woodbury in the head back in January, authorities say.

A Gloucester County grand jury has indicted suspended Deptford Township police officer James A. Stuart on four charges related to the shooting death of 27-year-old David Compton of Woodbury in January.

Stuart, 29, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder—one for causing Compton's death and another for knowingly causing Compton's death or the injury that led to it—as well as first-degree aggravated manslaughter and second-degree possession of a weapon.

The shooting occurred January 5 in Stuart's home. Compton was shot once in the head, and rushed to Cooper Hospital, where he was later taken off life support.

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Stuart was off-duty from the Deptford Township police force, and has since been suspended.

Compton and Stuart knew each other for several years, and the incident was not random, prosecutors said in January, although they did not disclose a motive for the shooting at that time

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Next, Stuart will be scheduled for a pre-arraignment conference, according to a statement from the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office.


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