David Compton

— The

police officer accused of fatally shooting a friend in the head in January was indicted on murder and weapons charges Wednesday, an attorney representing the victim’s family said.

The officer, 29-year-old James Stuart, allegedly shot 27-year-old David Compton of Woodbury inside Stuart's township home while he was off duty around 5 a.m. on Jan. 5, 2013.

Compton died Jan. 11 from his injuries, and Stuart was charged with first-degree murder. As of February, he was suspended from the police force without pay, pending the outcome of the case.

On the morning of the incident, Stuart had initially called a non-emergency township police line to report it. That led to a delay in dispatching medical responders, as dispatchers wondered whether Stuart was only "messing around."

Such pranks by police, the dispatchers mentioned, were not unheard of during early morning hours, and they called a sergeant on duty to verify that the call was real.

Stuart was initially charged with aggravated assault and jailed on $10,000 bail. He posted bail and was released, but was jailed again on $250,000 bail after Compton’s death and the upgraded murder charge.

Daniel Gee, the Marlton-based attorney representing Compton’s family, said Stuart again posted bail and was released.

In addition to murder, Stuart was indicted Wednesday on charges of aggravated manslaughter and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office announced.

He will be scheduled for a pre-arraignment conference, during which he'll receive a copy of the charges against him and investigative reports on the shooting.

Gee released a statement from the victim’s family concerning the indictment. It reads as follows:

Contact staff writer Joe Green at 856-845-3300 ext. 253 or jgreen@southjerseymedia.com