Attorney General releases bodycam video, 911 calls from Piscataway police-involved shooting
Officers arrived about 5:33 p.m. and saw Barnes on the front porch. As an officer approached, Barnes picked up a knife from the ground, went inside and locked the door, officials said.
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The Attorney General's Office released 911 calls and body camera footage Wednesday from a police-involved shooting that occurred in Piscataway on Jan. 5.
The civilian who died was previously identified as Jordan Barnes, 29, of Piscataway.
According to the Attorney General’s Office of Public Integrity and Accountability, Piscataway police received two 911 calls at about 5:30 p.m. The first was from a woman yelling “Stop! Stop!” amid other commotion.
Investigators later determined the call came from the cellphone of Jeanmarie Barnes, a relative of Jordan Barnes who was later found dead inside the home. In January, Piscataway Mayor Brian Wahler told News 12 that Jeanmarie was the mother of Jordan Barnes.
A second caller, also a relative, reported that Jordan Barnes was threatening to stab people inside the residence, the Attorney General's Office said. Mayor Wahler previously told News 12 that this caller was the father of Barnes.
RELATED: Police officers fatally shoot man armed with knife, discover 3 bodies inside Piscataway home
Officers arrived about 5:33 p.m. and saw Barnes on the front porch. As an officer approached, Barnes picked up a knife from the ground, went inside and locked the door, officials said.
A relative outside told police three other people remained inside. Barnes then appeared at a second-floor window, gestured to his neck and shouted that officers would not get inside, authorities said.
After assembling on the porch, police saw two people lying unresponsive on the floor and used a key provided by a relative to enter the home.
Inside, Barnes was holding a kitchen knife in his left hand, authorities said. Officers ordered him to drop the weapon and get on the ground. When he did not comply and advanced toward them, three officers deployed Tasers, which were ineffective. One then fired his service weapon, striking Barnes.
RELATED: Authorities ID people involved in triple homicide, police-involved shooting in Piscataway
Officers rendered first aid, but Barnes was pronounced dead at the scene. A large kitchen knife was recovered from the porch and a second broken knife was found near the entrance.
Police later found Jeanmarie Barnes, 60, Richard Barnes, 86, and Brenda Barnes, 84, dead inside the home with multiple suspected stab wounds. According to Mayor Wahler, the victims were Jordan Barnes' mother and paternal grandparents.
The Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office is investigating those deaths.
Under a 2019 state law, the Attorney General’s Office must investigate any death that occurs during an encounter with a law enforcement officer and present the findings to a grand jury to determine whether charges are warranted.
