Video released of Wayne police officer shooting sword-wielding man

WAYNE, NJ — A sword-wielding Wayne man who was shot by police for threatening to harm officers had been arrested and released from custody earlier that day, officials said.

The Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office has released new details and body-worn camera footage for the officer-involved shooting on Feb. 14. Police officers went to a home on White Birch Court just before 10 p.m., after a 911 caller reported that a man in the home had intentionally taken about 20 Xanax pills, officials said.

When police arrived, they saw 34-year-old Connor Darpino come onto a second-floor balcony holding two swords, according to the prosecutor’s office.

“In the ensuing interaction, he stated to the officers on scene that he would jump down from the balcony and stab them,” officials said. “He retreated to a second-floor room and closed the door.”

Officers called for assistance and established a perimeter around the home before Darpino re-emerged on the balcony and began walking towards the stairs with the blades in his hand.

As Darpino came quickly down the stairs, officials said Wayne Police Lieutenant Douglas Itjen fired seven shots, striking him five times.

Body-worn camera footage shows another officer telling Darpino to stop, drop the knives, and put his hands down, while Itjen calls for him to “drop ’em, drop ’em now, drop ’em now!”

Officers began giving him medical aid, and he was later taken to the hospital in critical, but stable condition. One of the swords had fallen on the stairs, and officers recovered the second one after Darpino was shot and dropped it, the footage shows.

Darpino now faces charges of terroristic threats, two counts of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, and unlawful possession of a weapon. His defense counsel, Alissa D. Hascup, declined to comment on the charges against him.

According to authorities, Wayne Police had arrested Darpino earlier that day after he was involved in a single-car crash. He reportedly was “argumentative and combative” with that officer; police charged him on a complaint and let him go.

The prosecutor’s office will be the lead investigator into this officer-involved shooting, and a grand jury will ultimately decide if Itjen’s use of force was justified.