Bellmawr police Sgt. Christopher Cummings was in the right place at the right time.
BELLMAWR -- Borough police are commending the work by one of their own after an off-duty sergeant near the scene of Thursday's fatal shooting at The Walk outlet shops in Atlantic City wrestled a weapon away from the accused gunman.
Sgt. Christopher Cummings was in "close proximity" to the Zumiez store, where 26-year-old Absecon man Christopher Romero was gunned down in what authorities said was a domestic violence incident. The shooter, Lewis Maisonet, 55, of Somers Point, was hospitalized in critical condition Thursday night.
"At some point, after fatally shooting one male, the shooter turned the gun on himself and fired one round into his own torso. Our very own Sgt. Christopher Cummings was off-duty and in close proximity to him and immediately attempted to disarm the suspect," Bellmawr police said Thursday.
Fatal mall shooting was domestic dispute
Cummings "managed to wrestle the firearm from the gunman before he could inflict any further harm upon himself or anyone else and the suspect was then taken into custody. Great job on your courageous actions Sgt. Cummings," police said.
Bellmawr police officials were not immediately available for comment Friday.
Readers with information regarding the shooting are asked to call the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office Major Crimes Unit at 609-909-7666.
Greg Adomaitis may be reached at gadomaitis@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregAdomaitis. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
