Officer in Northfield police shooting IDed

NORTHFIELD — The state Attorney General’s Office has identified Officer Nikolas Ballentine of Northfield PD as the person who shot and killed 27-year-old Megan Whiting. The office is investigating incident to determine if his use of deadly force was justified.

According to a release on April 17, Attorney General John M. Formella said Ballentine shot his gun during an incident on April 6. Ballentine is a full-time officer with the Northfield Police Department, with about two years of law enforcement experience.

“The exact circumstances surrounding the shooting incident remain under investigation,” the release stated. “It is anticipated that a report regarding the incident and whether Officer Ballentine’s use of deadly force was justified will be released once the investigation is complete.”

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner reported Whiting died from multiple gunshot wounds, and her manner of death was homicide. Homicide means someone is killed at the hands of another person.

Police officers from Northfield and Tilton responded to a 911 call from an apartment on Vine Street at 12:12 a.m. on April 6. They received a report of a domestic disturbance, and an adult female resident allegedly hit another resident with a fire extinguisher.

Dispatchers were told by the caller that Whiting was hitting the caller’s girlfriend, and also smashing objects and breaking a window. The caller told police to hurry, and dispatchers heard yelling in the background, according to a release from the state Department of Justice.

Officers arrived at 12:18 a.m., entered the apartment, and saw Whiting with a knife, close to an injured female resident. The report said police told Whiting more than once to drop the knife, and then one officer shot her.

Officers helped the injured female leave the apartment, and took the knife from Whiting after she was shot. Whiting died at the scene, and no police or other citizens were injured.

Northfield Police Chief Mark Lewandoski wasn’t there when the incident occurred, but was called to the scene after. When he arrived, Lewandoski said he had to take care of procedural aspects, like gathering information from officers at the scene and State Police.

“At that point, I am looking out for his well-being and doing the right thing for him,” Lewandoski said on Friday afternoon. “The rest of it will be investigated, and I don’t want to start adding different stories.”

“We want it investigated clearly, methodically, and want the end result to be accurate.”

Lewandoski said officers in Northfield are issued tasers, and as far as their usage, it depends a lot on timing.

“If you have time and are able to deploy a taser, then in most cases you would,” Lewandoski said. "But if the timeframe doesn’t allow for that, it doesn’t allow for that, depending on the critical nature of the event.”

Lewandoski said he's been in contact with Ballentine, who has been put on paid leave. Lewandoski said “he is fine,” and he's spoken with him every day since the incident occurred.

“The situation itself is hard for everyone,” Lewandoski said. “It doesn’t just affect the officer involved, but also affects the other officers, and the friends and family of the victim. There is widespread impact.”

The Northfield Police Department is not involved in the investigation. Lewandoski said, by statute, it's in the hands of the Attorney General’s Office.

“I have nothing to add on why he shot his gun, and won’t learn anything until after they release their finding,” Lewandoski said.