By Walter Elliott
NEWARK – All parties involved or who had a ringside seat to the 31-hour standoff at and around 35-36 Clinton Place here have been trying to return to normal life since July 8-9.
Neighbors who resided there and in adjacent houses 6 a.m. that Thursday has mostly moved back after staying in a nearby community center, friends or relatives’ homes or local hotels.
Law enforcement officers, from the Newark Police Division to FBI-Newark Field Office agents, have been debriefed. Some may have taken vacation time or other stress relief measures.
Riders on NJTransit’s 13V bus route may have an easier time of getting to their work, school or other rounds.
One resident of 24-36 Clinton Place, however, remains in University Hospital. Hassan Grimsley, 42, is recovering from wounds suffered after exchanging gunfire with officers at the standoff’s end at about 12:55 p.m. July 9.
Grimsley – whose condition remains unknown as of press time – will be charged in relation to the stand when he has sufficiently healed. He may be taken to State Superior Court – Newark or be arraigned from his hospital bed.
Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore “Ted” Stephens II said, at July 9’s late-afternoon press conference at the Essex County Veterans Courthouse, that “less than lethal force was used” on Grimsley during that last exchange – but “was met with deadly force from Grimsley. (He) was shot at that time.”
Newark Public Safety Director Brian O’Hara said that he and other officers were praying for Grimsley’s recovery.
The story begins at about 5:55 a.m. that Thursday Members of the Essex County Prosecutors Office Narcotics Unit gained entry to the three-story single-family house to serve a search warrant for drugs and/or guns. They were accompanied by members of the Essex County Sheriff’s Office and the NPD.
Stephens said they were serving the warrant as the result of an investigation since May.
The warrant servers, however, retreated back out of the house and to behind parked vehicles by 6 a.m. They told Stephens that a man behind one of the doors they were knocking on had opened fire on them.
Several officers began evacuating residents of 34-36 Clinton Place while retreating. That evacuation extended to adjacent houses. South Ward Councilman John Sharpe James said “about 20” people were cleared out.
Reinforcements were called while Clinton Place was closed between Clinton and Hawthorne avenues. The closure would detour 79 of the 13’s southbound runs to Irvington’s Valley Fair and 87 northbound runs to as far out as Clifton the next 32 hours.
Those responding as backup included members of the FBI-Newark Field Office the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Essex County Sheriff’s Bomb Disposal Unit and NPD’s SWAT team. Local EMS ambulances were on the scene but on standby. Helicopters from metropolitan New York City television stations news bureau would periodically fly by.
Stephens thanked Bloomfield Police Director Samuel de Maio for his part in resolving the standoff Friday. It is not clear as of press time exactly what the former career NPD officer and police director’s contribution was.
“Local Talk” drove by Clinton Place’s intersection with Clinton Avenue and South 13th Street at 5:30 p.m. Thursday and 11:30 a.m. Friday. There was no opportunity at the time for a fresh photo of the scene.
They also established bullhorn and telephone contact with the barricaded Grimsley. Those brought in to talk with him included Grimsley’s relatives and neighbors, mental health specialists from RWJBarnabas Health Beth Israel Medical Center and community activists.
“He said he was tired,” said community activist Cassandra Dock after talking with Grimsley, “and didn’t want to go back to prison.”
It is not clear whether Grimsley’s name was on the search warrant. Superior Court-Newark records show that he had pleaded guilty to a three-year term in a 2015 narcotics case.
Officials – from Stephens, O’Hara and Essex County Sheriff Armando Fontoura to Mayor Ras Baraka – said that law enforcers acted with restraint to allow Grimsley to peacefully surrender. There were one or two opportunities, however, where officers tried to storm the house – only to be repelled by his gunfire. Fontoura said that his officers were shot at “seven or eight times.
“Every time they approached, they were shot at,” said Fontoura late Friday. “Each time, it was at the wall just missing some of our officers. One of our officers is ready to retire in 20 days and the bullet came close to his head; clearly, he’s traumatized.”
“At least one of the police officers’ ballistic shields was shot by gunfire,” said Ohara. “Clearly, the sheriff’s officers were under fire and exercised tremendous restraint.”
At no time was University High School, directly across from 34-36 Clinton, open for its 12-month staff that Thursday and Friday. The high school had no scheduled programs or summer school.
Many of the displaced neighbors stood nearby through Thursday’s rain. Some knocked on other neighbors’ doors to use their bathroom or took a break at the community center down Clinton Place. Several neighbors gave them some food and drink.
Some complained that they had no access to their medication, food or a change of clothes during those 31 hours. Several resorted to sleep with neighbors, relatives or in local hotels.
One resident said that an officer directed him to Newark Beth Israel to get replacement medication but could not help him with clothes.
Police activity like the standoff, unlike Newark Fire Department activity, does not have an on-site refreshment van like the Newark Bell and Siren Club.
Stephens added that some officers went to local pharmacies and pick up some residents’ medicine. Councilman James said that he took down the phone numbers of those neighbors who were at the community center to keep in touch with them.
“We try to save someone’s life and perhaps individuals were inconvenienced along the way – and that’s a criticism,” said Stephens Friday. “If he had been killed in the initial entry, it would’ve been, ‘Why didn’t you try to use less lethal force in order to extricate him from that situation?’”
The holdout ended within five minutes. Officers fired towards Grimsley, Grimsley fired back, and officers’ second round struck him. Grimsley was taken out on a stretcher and rushed to University Hospital.
