Crime & Safety

Parsippany Native Set for Third Surgery Since Shooting

Rachel Morgan and her alleged shooter remain hospitalized in critical condition.

A  officer and her alleged shooter remain hospitalized in critical condition Tuesday.

According to Paramus Mayor Richard LaBarbiera and a Facebook page created by friends and family members, Paramus Patrol Officer Rachel Morgan, a Parsippany native who attended Parsippany Hills High School, underwent surgery Monday afternoon and Sunday night to repair damage caused by bullets to her abdomen and hip. She is scheduled to undergo a third surgery on Tuesday.

LaBarbiera said he was told Monday night that her condition continued to improve.

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Morgan has plenty of well-wishers. On the night of the shooting Sunday, 50 of her fellow police officers visited Hackensack University Medical Center, where she was hospitalized. 

A Facebook page called "Thoughts & Prayers for Rachel Morgan" had almost 5,000 likes Tuesday. LaBarbiera said he has fielded calls from neighboring mayors, local businesses and ordinary people whom Morgan has helped in  her time on the force, all offering their support.

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"Everybody knows that the most they can do at this point is hope and pray, but they just wanted us to know that they are there for all of us," LaBarbiera said.

Many of the details from Sunday night remain unclear. driven by Michael Sean Carmody, 23, of Westwood, according to statements from Bergen County Prosecutor John Molinelli.

After a traffic stop, Carmody sped southbound on Route 17 before crashing at the Garden State Parkway entrance, Molinelli said. At that point, he allegedly turned a 9-mm pistol on Morgan, who had chased him to the crash scene, Molinelli said.

Carmody was critically wounded by a contingent of backup police officers that included Paramus Police Patrol Officer Ryan Hayo, Molinelli said. He's been charged with two counts of attempted murder, and is hospitalized at St. Joseph's Medical Center in Paterson.

Hackensack attorney Nathan Kittner, who represented Carmody in both municipal and superior court in the past, said while the 23-year-old had run-ins with the law, he believed he was making an effort to turn his life around.

"I thought he was a kid with a real troubled past who in his own way was making an attempt to straighten himself out," Kittner said. He pointed out Carmody was attending Bergen Community College and was "trying his hardest in his classes."

Kittner said he had no indication that Carmody was capable of a violent act. He represented Carmody in motor vehicle charges and minor drug charges. "There was nothing I knew about or represented him on that connected him to any violent activity," Kittner said.

Kittner also knows Morgan because he dealt with her in an unrelated case. He described the female officer as "very professional" and "competent."

Kittner said he hopes both Carmody and Morgan recover. "I'm praying for the best for both of them," he said.


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