Bodycam Bombshell From Deadly SWAT Raid

Police officers with a K9 at an apartment entrance — Photo: a katz / Shutterstock

The state-released body-camera video shows a SWAT warrant service turn into a gunfight the instant the door opened.

Story Snapshot

Officials say Donald Gardner fired multiple shots as officers opened the door during a warrant service.
Officer Robert Reynolds returned fire and struck Gardner, who was later pronounced dead.
Two officers were hit, one in the leg and one in the helmet area, before the threat was stopped.
The Attorney General released body-camera video and radio traffic from the scene.

Door opens, shots erupt, officers hit

New Jersey’s Attorney General released video and audio from a June 2, 2026 SWAT warrant service in Atlantic City that became a shooting within seconds. The operation took place on the 100 block of North Florida Avenue. The New Jersey Attorney General’s account states that Donald Gardner fired multiple gunshots as officers opened the residence door. Two officers were struck during the initial burst. The release identifies Officer Robert Reynolds as the officer who returned fire and hit Gardner.

Footage and radio calls show a rapid sequence. Officers announced the search warrant, moved to breach, and gunfire followed. The compilation includes body-camera angles from outside the threshold and audio of urgent medical calls for the wounded. The video’s pacing gives a clear sense of how little time officers had to react. Local coverage describes one officer shot in the leg and another hit in the helmet area, who avoided fatal injury, while Gardner died at the scene.

Who was on the mission and why it mattered

The Atlantic City Police Department Special Weapons and Tactics team and the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office Special Weapons and Tactics team were assigned to serve a court-approved search warrant at the residence. The Attorney General’s office provided the date, location, and purpose in its update. That detail matters because search-warrant operations are a core function of Special Weapons and Tactics units, which often handle higher-risk entries where occupants may be armed.

National research shows most Special Weapons and Tactics deployments are for search warrants, and many require forced entry. That is why teams train to control a doorway quickly. Even so, shootings remain rare as a share of all raids, which underscores how quickly this scene escalated once the door moved. The Atlantic City video gives a textbook example of the risk window at the threshold, where distance is short, cover is thin, and decisions arrive in heartbeats.

What the footage and radio traffic add

The Attorney General released selected body-worn camera clips and radio transmissions to show what officers saw and said. The clips capture commands to announce the warrant and then the instant shift to gunfire, return fire, and calls for medics. A local television report notes the officers’ announcement just before shots, which aligns with the state’s timeline. The combination of video and audio gives a strong factual frame for the sequence and the officers’ responses.

Atlantic City Officer Fatally Shoots Armed Felon After Two Officers Are Shot

Atlantic City, New Jersey — June 2, 2026, at approximately 2:55 p.m., 52-year-old Donald Gardner, also known as Donald Capriotti, was fatally shot by an Atlantic City police officer after gunfire… pic.twitter.com/6UejATBU9O

— Police Incidents (@PoliceIncident) October 15, 2026

The state’s update identifies Officer Robert Reynolds as the officer who fired back and struck Gardner. That attribution ties the outcome to a named officer and fixes the key moment in the exchange. The update also records that Reynolds was not hit. From a use-of-force perspective, the facts support the common-sense view: when a suspect fires at police at close range, officers respond with deadly force to stop the threat and protect each other and nearby residents.

What comes next and why details still matter

The Attorney General’s office described the release as part of an ongoing investigation. That process typically reviews ballistics, autopsy findings, and policy compliance, as well as the medical status of wounded officers. The core narrative across outlets is consistent: Gardner fired as the door opened, two officers were hit, and police gunfire stopped him. The final report will formalize the findings, but the current record already explains the quick decisions officers made under fire.