What to know about the funeral of Johnstown’s former police chief

The funeral of a former New Jersey police chief who died last month was delayed because of an alleged dispute between his family and a state official.

Johnstown Mayor Joe Marra, the son of former police officer and city councilman John Marra Sr., died on Saturday in a nursing home after a prolonged illness.

Johnsons death is the latest in a string of deaths of police officers that have raised concerns about the use of force and misconduct by law enforcement.

Marra was shot dead in his patrol car by an off-duty state trooper in March 2017 after responding to a report of a vehicle blocking traffic in a residential neighborhood.

Police say he was unarmed and had his hands up when he was shot.

The state Attorney General’s office has said the trooper involved in the shooting was not disciplined by the state, but Marra’s family is demanding an investigation into the officer’s actions.

The city has been rocked by the killing of John Smith Jr. in a police vehicle, which the state’s attorney general has said could have been avoided if a state trooper had been on the scene.

Marrapanta, who was in the police department for just under six years, was shot and killed during a traffic stop after the officer stopped Smith’s car in March, according to the Johnstown Star-Ledger.

The officer who fired his weapon was placed on administrative leave.

A statement from the Johnsons family Tuesday evening said the family is “deeply saddened by the loss of one of our officers, and by the way he died.”

A state Senate panel will hold a hearing Thursday into Marra and his death.