Jersey City police release more details about deadly shootout and demand the release of footage
The Jersey City public safety director says the man opened fire on police and that the moments before and during the shootout are on body-camera footage and surveillance.
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Jersey City police are releasing more details about a shootout as the family of man killed by police question whether Teshawn Rogers had a gun on him.
"They don't know what that bulge is," said Darshell Robinson, the victim's grandmother.
She says it could have been food or cigarettes.
"They shot him in the back," said Robinson.
The Jersey City public safety director says the man opened fire on police and that the moments before and during the shootout are on body-camera footage and surveillance.
"At about 1 in the morning, that person was by themselves," said James Shea, Jersey City public safety director. "They were wearing a hooded sweatshirt under the coat, mirrored sunglasses and a mask."
He says that person reached into their waistband and turned toward a car, then moved on a couple blocks from the deadly scene.
"Our officers became convinced that that person was carrying an illegal firearm, they followed him on the camera," said Shea. "When they lost him on the CC TV system, they told our perimeter units they need to check and make sure he wasn't about to commit a crime."
"Those units all approached in two cars with two officers in each when they approached this individual, he immediately started firing at our police officers," said Shea. "One of the four police officers returned fire ,causing that individual to become deceased."
Jersey City police are calling on the lead agency, the State Attorney General's Office, to release the footage now.
