The Lyndhurst Municipal Building houses the Lyndhurst Public Library, where a suspect was allegedly shot dead by police this afternoon
LYNDHURST —
Updated at May 30 at 10:19 a.m.
A Township man is dead after a police-involved shooting inside the Lyndhurst Public Library, police said.
The suspect, who was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead shortly after arriving there, has been identified by authorities as Kevin K. Allen, 36, of Stuyvesant Avenue, Lyndhurst.
Reports say that on May 29, at around 2 p.m., Allen was spotted by police officers walking into the library. The officers apparently knew there was a warrant for Allen’s arrest on contempt of court charges — and they also knew he recently didn’t show up for a work-release program, according to police.
As Allen entered the library, officers followed him in and up to the third floor, and when they confronted him, police say he pulled a knife.
It is believed a child was among several people who witnessed the shooting and who were being interviewed by investigators with the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office.
Police Chief James O’Connor told the media at a press conference that two of the three police officers involved in the shooting were taken to a hospital for evaluation for mental trauma.
An eyewitness at the scene, who asked not to be identified, told The Observer he was caught off guard by what he saw.
“I was nearby, and all of a sudden, there are cops everywhere,” he said. “They were entering the building. When you see that many cops, you know it’s something serious. So I got out of the area but came back later. I saw a woman who was sobbing like crazy. Not sure what she was there for, but she was definitely traumatized.”
Instagram photo of the scene below courtesy of user LatinoMind.
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