A state grand jury declined to file any criminal charges related to the death of a Pennsylvania man who was shot and killed in November 2021 by two New Jersey state troopers in Knowlton.
Timothy Parks, 34, of Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania, was fatally shot November 7, 2021, by state troopers responding to a report of a car in a ditch off Starlite Hill Road about 1:30 a.m. According to investigators, as the officers tried to communicate with Parks while he was inside the vehicle, which was front-end-first in a ditch, he ignored orders to keep his hands on the steering wheel. He then brandished a shotgun with which he fatally shot a dog in the car with him.
He then turned the weapon toward the officers, police said, when the troopers opened fire. Parks was pronounced dead at Lehigh Valley Hospital about an hour later.
A grand jury investigation was convened by the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General, which is standard procedure in police encounters that result in death.
“The investigation included interviews of witnesses, collection of forensic evidence, review of body worn camera footage, review of motor vehicle recording footage and autopsy results from the medical examiner,” the attorney general’s office said in a statement. This evidence, including video of the incident, as well as video interviews of the involved officers, was presented to the grand jury, it added.
“After hearing the testimony and evidence, the grand jury concluded its deliberations Monday, February 27, 2023, and voted ‘no bill,’ meaning the grand jury concluded no criminal charges should be filed against State Troopers Joselo Machuca and Eduardo Tejada,” the responding officers, the attorney general’s office said.
Joe Phalon, Contributing Writer
Joe was lured out of retirement by the opportunity to be a part of the Ridge View Echo. During a decades-long career in publishing and journalism, he has covered government on many levels from local school boards to the United States Supreme Court.
Along the way, Joe has worked at American Lawyer Magazine, The National Law Journal and The Record among other publications, and as the Press Officer of Columbia Law School. His work has been recognized with several first place awards from the Society of Professional Journalists and the New Jersey Press Association.
Being part of the Ridge View Echo brings Joe back to his roots and the kind of news coverage he loves: Telling the stories of people and local communities as well as keeping an eye on how their money is spent by their government officials.
Joe lives in Blairstown with his wife Rose, the founder of Quilting for a Cause, and their two wiener dogs. He is an artist in his spare time.
