+

Cookies on the Business Insider India website

Business Insider India has updated its Privacy and Cookie policy. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the better experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we\'ll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies on the Business Insider India website. However, you can change your cookie setting at any time by clicking on our Cookie Policy at any time. You can also see our Privacy Policy.

Close
HomeQuizzoneWhatsappShare Flash Reads
 

Newly released dashcam footage shows a New Jersey state trooper fatally shooting a black man during a traffic stop after offering him a ride to a car dealership

Jun 10, 2020, 02:26 IST
Insider
A member of the New Jersey State Police pictured in 2018.Nick Tre. Smith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
  • New Jersey's Attorney General's Office released dashboard-camera footage of the death of Maurice Gordon, who was killed by a state trooper on May 23.
  • Gordon had been pulled over for speeding, and the state trooper, Sgt. Randall Wetzel, offered him a seat in his patrol car and a ride to a car dealership after his car broke down during the traffic stop.
  • At one point Gordon tried to get out of the police car's back seat, and the attorney general's office said Gordon then tried to get into the driver's seat of the police cruiser twice.
  • During a struggle, Gordon was shot six times.
Advertisement

Police dashboard camera footage released on Monday by New Jersey's Attorney General's Office captured the moment when a state trooper fatally shot a 28-year-old black man during a traffic stop in May.

Maurice Gordon, of Poughkeepsie, New York, died on May 23. Gordon was shot by Sgt. Randall Wetzel, who had pulled him over for speeding on the Garden State Parkway in Bass River, New Jersey, the attorney general's office told the Washington Post.

During the traffic stop, Gordon's car broke down. Wetzel offered him a seat in his patrol car as he waited for a tow truck, and said he could give him a ride to a car dealership.

Dashcam footage showed that after 20 minutes in Wetzel's car, Gordon unbuckled his seatbelt and tried to get out of the vehicle's back seat. When he left it, Wetzel yelled, "Get in the car!" The attorney general's office said Gordon then tried to get into the driver's seat of the police cruiser twice.

On the first instance, Wetzel pepper-sprayed Gordon. When Gordon tried again, Wetzel shot him six times during a struggle.

Advertisement

The footage was released as part of the attorney general's investigation into whether or not use-of-force was warranted in the incident.

Gordon's family criticized the attorney general's decision to release the footage, saying they were not allowed to watch it beforehand.

"They were hurt. They were beside themselves. Both of them were in my arms crying uncontrollably. Because of what they felt was the further victimization of this family," the family's attorney William O. Wagstaff told USA Today.

The attorney general's office said it offered several opportunities for the family to watch the footage before releasing it.

Gordon's family has spent the last several weeks calling on New Jersey officials to bring justice to Gordon and provide information surrounding his death.

Advertisement

"I just can't imagine the insensitivity," Wagstaff told The Post of the video being released. "They sat on this for two weeks. In the absence of media and the press putting pressure on the state of New Jersey to do the right thing, which is to allow the family to learn the circumstances of Mr. Gordon's death, they didn't even give the family a day."

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said on Monday that a grand jury will determine if Wetzel will face criminal charges. The state trooper is currently on administrative leave with pay.

"Police have a responsibility to protect the people they serve, and that demands a high level of accountability when things go wrong," Murphy said, according to The Post.

Gordon was a chemistry student at Duchess Community College. It's unknown why he was in New Jersey, but his family said he was an Uber driver and could have dropped off a rider.

You are subscribed to notifications!
Looks like you've blocked notifications!
Next Article