Man Shot By Beachwood Police Officer Died Of Gunshot Wound To Chest

The man late Thursday night near the High Velocity Bar and Grill died of a gunshot wound to the chest, Ocean County Executive Assistant Prosecutor Michel A. Paulhus said.

The autopsy on 52-year-old Mark Tanouye was performed Friday, he said.

Beachwood Sgt. Bruce Harris was in uniform in a marked police cruiser when he responded to a 10:50 p.m. call about a man "creating a disturbance" in the parking lot of the sports bar on Route 166, Paulhus has said.

Harris got out of his patrol car and confronted Tanouye in the sports bar parking lot. Tanouye was carrying a .25 caliber handgun, Paulhus has said.

"He ignored repeated commands to drop his weapon," Paulhus said. "The officer discharged his weapon and the male suffered fatal injuries."

Tanouye was pronounced dead at the scene. His last known address was in Beachwood, Paulhus said.

Harris has been placed on administrative leave while the investigation is continuing, which is standard procedure, Ocean County Prosecutor Marlene Lynch Ford said.

The state Attorney General's Office was notified about the shooting, Ford said.

"An investigation is being conducted by my office pursuant to the Attorney General’s guidelines concerning the use of force," Ford said.

Anyone with any information about the shooting is asked to
contact Detective Thomas Tiernan of the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office at
(732) 929-2027.

Tanouye had a lengthy criminal record. He was last admitted to state prison in March 2008 and was released March 2012 from South Woods State Prison, on one count of terroristic threats to kill, and one count of weapons possession for an unlawful purpose. The charges stemmed from an incident in May 14, 2006, according to the state Departments of Corrections website.

On May 5 of that year, Tanouye impersonated a public servant, a charge which he also served prison time for. He used aliases such as Gregory Bartholomew, Bartholemew Dangalow, Mark Dangelo and Mark Tonouge, according to the DOC website.

The prison term was a mandatory 48-month sentence that carried a maximum of seven years.

The parking lot of the High Velocity Sports bar was roped off with police tape in the early morning darkness on Friday. Beachwood police, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office, the Ocean County Criminalistics Investigative Unit and the Beachwood Fire Department were on the scene.