By MES Dispatch Staff
The Briefing
- • Atlantic City Police Sgt. Christian Ivanov was critically wounded on June 7, 2026, when a suspect opened fire on officers executing a search warrant at a residence on North Florida Avenue; a second officer was also struck but was treated and released the same evening.
- • The suspect, identified as Donald Gardner, 52, also known as Donald Capriotti, was fatally shot at the scene by Officer Robert Reynolds, who was not injured.
- • As of June 8, Ivanov remains in the ICU at AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center in serious but stable condition; Atlantic City PBA Local 24 President Albert Floriani stated the sergeant is making progress but faces a long road to recovery.
- • The New Jersey Attorney General’s Office is conducting the investigation into the circumstances of the shooting, as required by state law for all fatalities involving law enforcement.
- • A GoFundMe campaign established for Ivanov and his family had raised more than $163,000 from over 1,700 donors as of the afternoon of June 8.
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — Atlantic City Police Sgt. Christian Ivanov remained in the intensive care unit at AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center on June 8, 2026, one day after being critically wounded when a suspect opened fire on officers while they were executing a search warrant at a North Florida Avenue residence, according to the Atlantic City Police Department and Atlantic City PBA Local 24.
The shooting occurred at approximately 2:55 p.m. on June 7 at the address on North Florida Avenue. According to a preliminary investigation by the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office, the suspect — identified as Donald Gardner, 52, of Atlantic City, also known as Donald Capriotti — fired on officers during the encounter. Gardner was fatally shot at the scene by Officer Robert Reynolds. Ivanov sustained critical injuries; a second officer was also struck by gunfire, treated at AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center, and released the same evening. Reynolds was not injured.
Sgt. Ivanov is assigned to the department’s SWAT unit and has served with the Atlantic City Police Department throughout his career. PBA Local 24 President Albert Floriani said in a statement that Ivanov is making incremental progress but that his recovery will be lengthy. “Sgt. Ivanov continues to make progress and is doing much better, but he remains in the ICU,” Floriani said. “He still has a long road to recovery ahead of him.” Police Chief James Sarkos extended formal thanks to the trauma team and medical staff at AtlantiCare for their response to the wounded officers, calling their work under the circumstances lifesaving.
The New Jersey Attorney General’s Office, which is required by state law to investigate all law enforcement-involved fatalities, confirmed that its investigation into the shooting is ongoing and that no further details were being released at this time. Gardner had a documented criminal history dating back more than a decade, including a 2013 incident in which he was shot multiple times and paralyzed from the waist down during a New Jersey State Police encounter in Egg Harbor Township — a shooting later cleared by a state grand jury. Gardner had also served time at South Woods State Prison on weapons, assault, drug, and resisting arrest charges and had pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of heroin in May 2025, following which he was released in December 2025.
A GoFundMe campaign established by a fellow Atlantic City police sergeant, Valmir Loga, to assist Ivanov and his family had raised more than $163,000 from over 1,700 donors as of the afternoon of June 8. The investigation into the incident remains active.