NJ Parks Officer Faces Charges in Shooting of Indian Tribe Member

New York, NY —

A parks police officer with New Jersey's environmental protection department faces charges of fatally shooting a member of a Bergen County Indian Tribe. WNYC's Bob Hennelly has more.

[Officer Chad Walder was charged with reckless manslaughter for shooting Emil Mann, a Ramapough Indian. Walder has been suspended without pay pending the outcome of the trial. He faces ten years in jail if convicted. Walder's lawyer, Robert Galuntucci, says his client defended himself after DEP officers challenged members of the Ramapough Mountain tribe over the their use of ATVs on what the officers said was public land.

Two tribe members were also indicted, one for assault and resisting arrest and the other for weapons violations. Governor Jon Corzine has made efforts to resolve longstanding issues between the tribe and the surrounding community. The state DEP also overhauled the training of its 1OO-member officer force. For WNYC I am Bob Hennelly.