ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — Newly released body-worn camera footage captures the terrifying split-second chaos that erupted June 2 when a SWAT team serving a search warrant came under immediate gunfire from a partially paralyzed convicted killer sitting in a wheelchair inside his home, wounding two officers, one nearly fatally, before a third officer returned fire and killed the suspect.
The dramatic video, released Wednesday by the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office as part of its ongoing investigation, shows officers from the Atlantic City Police Department SWAT team and Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office arriving at a residence on the 100 block of North Florida Avenue just before 3 p.m. They observed the front door open before someone inside closed it. Officers announced their presence and purpose, then used a mechanical breaching device to force entry.
The moment the door gave way, 52-year-old Donald Gardner, also known as Donald Capriotti, unleashed a barrage of shots from inside the residence. One round struck Detective Marquez Jones in the ballistic helmet; bodycam audio captures him falling back and repeatedly saying, “I’m good, I’m good, I’m good,” as teammates checked on him. The helmet is credited with saving his life. He was treated and released the following day.
A second round struck Sgt. Christian Ivanov, a 34-year-old father of three, in the upper leg/groin area, damaging his femoral artery and vein and causing massive blood loss. Video shows him groaning in pain and going over a porch railing as fellow officers immediately pulled him to safety, applied pressure to the wound, and loaded him into a SWAT vehicle rather than waiting for an ambulance. They reached AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center’s trauma unit in roughly four minutes. Doctors later described him as being “at death’s door,” saying he was minutes from dying upon arrival. Ivanov underwent two emergency surgeries that day, was removed from a ventilator the next morning, and was released after about two weeks of hospitalization. He has continued rehabilitation and, in a remarkable sign of recovery, recently participated in the coin toss at a Philadelphia Eagles game.
Officer Robert Reynolds, who was not hit, immediately returned fire, striking Gardner multiple times. Gardner was pronounced dead at the scene. A handgun was recovered near him.
Gardner had a lengthy and violent criminal history. He pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter in the 1993 killing of a man he described as a friend and served nearly two decades of a 30-year sentence. After his release, he was involved in a 2013 Egg Harbor Township case in which police found drugs and firearms, including an assault weapon and a sawed-off shotgun, during a search warrant; he was shot and left paralyzed during an encounter with officers in that period. He was later paroled in 2023 and, in 2025, pleaded guilty to a reduced drug-distribution charge and received probation.
Atlantic City Police Chief Jim Sarkos welcomed the footage’s release, saying it allows the public to see “the extraordinary actions taken by our officers under extremely dangerous and life-threatening circumstances.” PBA Local 24 President Albert Floriani described the team’s response as showing “no panic or hesitation at all,” crediting their training and quick action, along with the hospital trauma team, with saving Ivanov’s life. The officers and medical personnel are being honored at a local hero luncheon.
Under New Jersey law, the Attorney General’s Division of Criminal Justice is required to investigate all fatal police encounters and present findings to a grand jury. The investigation remains ongoing, and officials have not publicly detailed the underlying reason for the search warrant. The family of Gardner was allowed to review the recordings before their public release.
The footage, which includes multiple bodycam angles of the approach, breach, gunfire, and immediate aftermath, has drawn intense attention as a stark reminder of the sudden lethality officers can face even during planned warrant service, and of the life-saving value of ballistic protection, rapid medical intervention by teammates, and decisive return fire.
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