New Jersey

No Federal Charges Against Police Officer in Deadly New Jersey Traffic Stop Shooting

Federal prosecutors in New Jersey won't file charges against a police officer who fatally shot a man who defied orders by stepping out of a car during a traffic stop with his hands raised.

Officials declined to file federal charges in the shooting of Jerame Reid back in December, 2014. NBC10’s Denise Nakano spoke to a local activist about the decision.

The December 2014 shooting of 36-year-old Jerame Reid in Bridgeton was captured on their patrol car's dashboard camera.

U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman announced Monday that the investigation by his office determined there was insufficient evidence to pursue criminal charges. He said the office found no charges were warranted after "viewing the evidence as whole."

The family of a man shot and killed by police in 2014 is getting a two million dollar settlement. Jerame Reid was shot by two officers in Bridgeton and now his family has reached a tentative agreement in their federal lawsuit.

Reid was fatally shot in December 2014 with his hands up after defying police orders not to exit a stopped vehicle in Bridgeton. The grand jury decided not to indict the officers involved, Braheme Days and Roger Worley.

The Cumberland County prosecutor's office said it was giving "the factual circumstances of the incident" in a news release last year about the grand jury's decision. Conrad Benedetto, the attorney for Reid’s family, claimed the prosecutor’s office left out details like the officers' statements and autopsy reports however.

While the prosecutor noted Reid's criminal history, he did not point out aspects of the officers' past, including that one of the officers involved had left law enforcement positions after investigations into his own conduct, Benedetto said.

Days and Worley were the subjects of a handful of complaints alleging abuses of power over the past two years, but all the complaints were dismissed.

First assistant prosecutor Harold Shapiro declined to comment on Benedetto's statements.

Reid's shooting gained further attention after a police dashboard camera showed details of their encounter.

Police, with the camera in their cruiser rolling, pulled a Jaguar over for running a stop sign. Things turned tense when one of the officers warned his partner he could see a gun in the glove compartment.

Screaming "Don't you f---ing move!" and "Show me your hands!" at Reid, who was in the passenger seat, the officer reached into the car and appeared to remove a silver handgun.

NBC10’s Monique Braxton is in Bridgeton, New Jersey after news broke that there will be no charges for officers who shot and killed Jerame Reid during a traffic stop.

Then Reid, despite being warned repeatedly not to move, stepped out of the Jaguar, his hands raised about shoulder level.

The officers opened fire, killing him. Both officers were placed on leave while prosecutors investigated.

Reid spent about 13 years in prison for shooting at three state troopers when he was a teenager. Days recognized his name because he was among the arresting officers in August 2014 when Reid was charged with several crimes, including drug possession and obstruction.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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