Linden officer who was shot resigns

LINDEN — Lt. Demetrius Marshall, the Linden police officer who was shot in the line of duty Sept. 9, tendered his resignation last week.

“He’s just not really ready to come back at this point. He’s just not ready to get back into it. His head’s just not in it yet. He said he is going to take some time and visit with his family and try to get his head back right,” Linden Police Department Chief Scott McClure said of Marshall, who was shot in the thigh in the early morning hours of Sunday, Sept. 9 while breaking up an altercation at a local Chevron station. “I’ve never been shot in the line of duty, so I can’t really say what to do. There wasn’t really a whole lot of advice I could give him other than to follow his heart and follow his mind and do what he needed to do for himself. As a friend, I didn’t want to put him back in a situation that was going to be detrimental to his well-being.”

The incident occurred when Marshall reportedly attempted to arrest Jonathan Tate, drawing resistance that prompted the officer to utilize his stun gun. Reacting to the use of force by Marshall, Travis Tate and Phillip Rogers reportedly involved themselves in a physical confrontation with Marshall, a scuffle that ended when a Lakendrick Rogers emerged from the on-looking crowd and shot Marshall in the leg.

All four men were later arrested after having fled the scene. Jonathan Tate, 23, of Linden is charged with Resisting Arrest, Escape and Disorderly Conduct. Phillip Rogers, 30, of Linden is charged with Assault II. Travis Tate, 31, of Linden is charged with Assault II and Disorderly Conduct. LaKendrick Rogers, 23, of Linden is charged with Attempted Murder.

While Marshall assesses what is next in his professional life, McClure and the rest of the Linden Police Department will be forced to press forward without an officer with approximately four years of experience within the department.

“We’re a small department, so any time we lose a body it is a loss,” McClure said. “Demetrius’ knowledge of the city and knowledge of people is a loss. We’re in a business where we can’t stop. We’ve got to move forward.”