N.J. town placed on lockdown after man fires gun during confrontation with cop, authorities say Updated Jan 26, 2021; A confrontation between police and an emotionally-disturbed man Monday in Sussex County ended when the man fired a shot toward a police officer and fled, leading to a town-wide lockdown, authorities said. Officers were called about 1:45 p.m. to the Newton Town Centre apartments on Spring Street, according to Gregory Mueller, Sussex County’s first assistant prosecutor. “The police responded to a call involving an individual in distress,” Mueller said. When officers arrived, the man fired one shot from a handgun “in the direction of one of the officers,” Mueller said.