TRENTON, NJ – A Hamilton Township man tried robbing the wrong person Monday night.
The Mercer County Homicide Task Force and the New Jersey State Police are investigating an officer-involved shooting and criminal attempted murder and robbery involving Jabree Johnson that occurred in Hamilton on Monday, March 22, 2021.
According to the affidavit of probable cause, at approximately 9 p.m., agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms were engaged in an undercover operation. During the operation, two undercover agents were at Krauszer’s Food Store on Greenwood Avenue. During the operation, a black male wearing a black mask approached the undercover vehicle after one of the agents exited the vehicle. The black male entered the vehicle and pointed a handgun at the second agent demanding money. The second agent exited the vehicle and fired shots at the black male. As the suspect exited the vehicle, he fired shots at the agent before fleeing down Atlantic Avenue and out of sight.
Trenton police officers were contacted by Capital Health Regional Medical Center at 9:05 p.m. and advised a gunshot victim was brought in by personal vehicle. At the hospital, it was determined that the gunshot victim was a black male wearing bleached blue jeans, a white shirt soiled with blood, and brown boots. The gunshot victim was identified as Jabree Johnson. Johnson told a detective with the Mercer County Shooting Response Team that he was shot in the area of Walnut Avenue and declined to provide further information. Trenton police informed HTF that no reports of shots fired in that area were received during this timeframe. It should also be noted that Johnson had a large amount of cash with him.
Video received by HTF detectives from the undercover vehicle located at Krauszer’s captured the exchange. It depicts Johnson entering the vehicle with the second undercover agent, pointing a handgun at the agent, and telling him to hand over the money. The agent tosses an amount of bundled United States currency at Johnson who then orders the agent out of the vehicle. The agent fires at Johnson, striking him in the shoulder area. As Johnson exits the vehicle, he fires multiple times at the agent before fleeing down Atlantic Avenue.
Johnson, 26, of Cleveland Avenue, remains hospitalized in stable condition. He is charged with attempted murder, robbery, aggravated assault, resisting arrest and weapons offenses. The prosecutor’s office will be filling a motion to detain Johnson pending trial.
The incident remains under investigation.
Despite having been charged, all persons are presumed innocent until found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
