June 04, 2026
Thom Carroll/for PhillyVoice
The New Jersey Attorney General’s Office has identified the man fatally shot by Atlantic City police on Tuesday as Donald Gardner, 52. The officer who fired the fatal shots was identified as Robert Reynolds.
The man fatally shot Tuesday afternoon by Atlantic City police has been identified by the New Jersey Attorney's General's Office as Donald Gardner.
The AG's Office also identified the officer who fired the fatal shots as Robert Reynolds.
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The shooting took place at 2:55 p.m. as police were attempting to execute a search warrant a residence on the 100 block of North Florida Avenue. Two police officers were struck by gunfire, and Gardner was fatally shot by Reynolds, investigators said. Reynolds was not struck.
The shooting remains under investigation. The Attorney General's office is required by law to investigate deaths involving law enforcement officers. A grand jury must decide whether evidence supports indictments against any officers.
Gardner, 52, of Atlantic City, also was known as Donald Capriotti.
He was convicted of manslaughter for killing a man in 1994 and served 19 years in prison before being released in 2012, FOX29 reported. In 2013, Gardner was shot multiple times by police during a chase in Atlantic City and had used a wheelchair since, his mother, Tina Capriotti, said.
Capriotti said she did not believe Gardner was armed when he was shot.
"I want to know why they killed my son, that's what I want to know," Tina Capriotti told FOX29. "They left him here until 2 o'clock in the morning dead in a wheelchair and they didn't give me one minute, on minute to see my son. He has a family that loves him no matter what. He got in trouble, whatever happened growing up or whatever. We loved him."
The two wounded officers were transported to Atlanticare Regional Medical Center. One of them, identified as Sgt. Christian Ivanov, remained in serious condition as of Wednesday afternoon, the police union said.
Ivanov has a "long road to recovery ahead of him," Atlantic City Policeman's Benevolent Association Local No. 24 said in a social media post. "We ask that you continue to keep him, his family and all the officers involved in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time."
Ivanov has a wife and three young children, and also is a small business owner, according to a GoFundMe campaign. The fundraiser was set up by another sergeant in the Atlantic City Police Department, the Press of Atlantic City reported.
