Bergen County prosecutor reviewing video from police-involved shooting at Lyndhurst Public Library

LYNDHURST (WABC) -- The Bergen County Prosecutor is reviewing video from inside the Lyndhurst Public Library, where a police-involved shooting left one person dead Friday.

The officers involved were transported to the hospital for trauma, but were not physically injured.

Officials say the building also houses the police department, fire department and courthouse, which is why the response was so quick.

"There was nothing else they could have done," said Chief James O'Connor, Lyndhurst Police Department.

Late Friday night, the exhausted chief of the Lyndhurst Police detailed the life or death struggle between two of his officers and 36-year-old Kevin Allen, who police say would not go quietly, when they tried to arrest him on the third floor of the village library.

Police say Allen was rolling around on the floor with one officer, and when a second cop arrived to help, Allen reached into his pocket and took out a knife.

"He brandished the knife, the officers deployed pepper spray and batons, Mr. Allen still went after them aggressively and left them no choice but to deploy deadly force," O'Connor said.

The gunfire broke the silence in a place of peace, as frantic parents rushed to the library to grab their kids. Fortunately, none of them was hurt.

"Her daughter was in there and she didn't know what was going on in there," said Rosemary Morera, an eyewitness.

Police say Allen was wanted for absconding from a work release program, after a stint in jail earlier this year.

Just three days ago, officers looked for him at his last known residence, but the current occupant, who asked that Eyewitness News not show his face, had no forwarding address.

"I knew it wasn't anything good. But it shocked me it was the same guy they were looking for in the library who ended up getting killed," the occupant said.

Meanwhile, police say Allen's criminal past dates at least 15 years, including arrests for violent crimes and at least one sex crime.

"He was a great guy, I just don't understand what happened today," said William McMann, Allen's friend.

But that's not the man his former neighbor McMann knew.

"I don't know anyone in this neighborhood that would say anything bad about him. Just really shocking to hear what happened. I just can't put it together," McMann said.

As prosecutors were doing just that, Lyndhurst Police Chief O'Connor said his officers in the end had no choice but to shoot Allen.

"We'll review what occurred here today and see what steps we can take in the future to hopefully prevent that from occurring again," O'Connor said.

No witnesses were threatened. There were approximately 12 people in the library at the time of the shooting.

Police were familiar with the suspect, but this was their first violent encounter with him.

Allen is also known to go by Kevin Hall.