Man suspected of shooting NJ correction officer dead kills self in cemetery as police close in

NJ man suspected of shooting officers kills self

TRENTON, N.J. — A man suspected of fatally shooting an off-duty New Jersey correction officer and wounding another has committed suicide in a cemetery after being spotted by police.

The Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office says Ralph Johnson shot himself in the head at around 4 p.m. Wednesday and died later at a hospital.

Prosecutors say the 60-year-old Johnson shot his ex-wife and her husband before dawn Wednesday. They were in an SVU outside their home getting ready to leave for work.

Johnson’s ex-wife, Joanne Nicholson, was listed in stable condition Wednesday. Her husband, Laughfiel (la-fay-EL’) Nicholson, died.

Prosecutors say Johnson had been involved in an ongoing court dispute with his former wife. Prosecutors say their teenage daughter called 911 after hearing the shots.