Just before firing, one officer said to another: "We are going to have to do this."
HAMILTON -- Two township police officers who shot a man as he repeatedly stabbed his father last year were justified in their actions and the case will not be presented to a grand jury, the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office said Monday.
The officers have never been publicly named.
They each shot Shawn Clyde once on April 1, 2015 inside a Nottinghill Lane apartment as he repeatedly knifed his father and did not respond to the officers - who yelled "drop the knife" several times.
Hamilton Police file photo. Clyde lived in the apartment with his mother and father, who were not named in a statement the prosecutor's office made public Monday.
The 36-year-old son suffered from mental illness and the prosecutor's investigation into the incident said he stopped taking medication for schizophrenia about two weeks before the shooting.
He never recovered from his wounds, and died April 15, 2015.
Clyde's mother was also wounded int he attack. His father suffered the brunt of the assault, and suffered a heart attack while being stabbed, the prosecutor's office said.
Both have recovered.
In the statement, Acting Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo J. Onofri said the investigation determined the undisputed facts in this case determined the use of deadly force was legally justified and the incident did not need to be presented to a grand jury.
The New Jersey Office of the Attorney General also agreed with those decisions, the prosecutor's office statement said.
Investigators interviewed Clyde's parents, the two officers, other offices and a neighbor witness.
The statement gave this account of the shooting:
Hamilton officers responded to the apartment at about 5:20 p.m. on April 1, 2015 for a reported stabbing in progress.
The officers, identified only as officers 1 and 2, were in the parking lot of the Colonial Fire Co. nearby when they heard the call on police radio.
When they arrived, officer 2 heard a female yell "over here" and saw the female victim, Clyde's mother, with blood on her face and clothing.
Officer 2 asked her where the suspect was and if he was still armed, and she pointed then to the apartment and said Clyde still had a knife.
Officer 2 drew his weapon, entered the apartment and saw Clyde stabbing a male victim, his father, who was bleeding profusely. Officer 2 approached and ordered Clyde to drop the knife.
The officer was approximately 13 feet from the suspect. After ordering Clyde to drop the knife numerous times, officer 2 later said Clyde gave no response and continued to stab the male victim.
Officer 2 said officer 1 was to his left and was also yelling for the suspect to drop the knife. At one point, Clyde stopped stabbing the victim, looked back at the officers with a cold stare, said nothing and continued stabbing.
Officer 2 then said to officer 1, "We are going to have to do this."
Officer 2 waited for Clyde to raise the knife and fired one shot. Officer 1 immediately fired a shot as well.
At that point, Clyde stopped stabbing the victim, and fell over onto his father.
The prosecutor's office said officer 1's statement was consistent with officer 2's account. Officers 1 said he was in fear for the victim's life, his own life and officer 2's life.
Statements from a neighbor and several other Hamilton police officers all reported they heard the officers say "drop the knife" before firing.
Clyde's mother also heard the officers yelling "drop the knife," and the commands were recorded on police radio.
To detectives, Clyde's mother said she was scared of her son and concerned for the officers during their encounter with him.
She later told detectives that for two weeks before the incident, Clyde began acting out, crying a lot, laughing inappropriately and having time periods of blank stares.
And he had stopped taking his medication for schizophrenia.
When she arrived home on April 1, 2015, her husband told her that Clyde had been crying. When they went into the kitchen, Clyde was saying "yes, yes, yes."
Then he became silent, picked up a knife from the table and began stabbing his father. Clyde did not say anything as he continued to stab and slash him.
She attempted to stop Clyde, but he turned the knife on her and stabbed her twice.
She was able to call 911 and flee the apartment.
"The undisputed facts of this matter reveal that the officers were acting to protect themselves and others, and used deadly force pursuant to a reasonable belief of immediate deadly force being used on the male victim," Onofri said in the statement.
Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@kevintshea. Find NJ.com on Facebook.