[ad_1]
The family of a man fatally shot by Jersey City police after he allegedly opened fire on officers is demanding answers and has hired a lawyer to investigate the incident, the family’s attorney said.
Darshell Robinson identified her 27-year-old grandson, Teshawn Rogers, as the man killed by police early Tuesday morning. She said in an interview that the family has retained attorney Adrienne Edward to look into the circumstances of the shooting and possibly file a wrongful death lawsuit.
“Their grandson is deceased. They want answers. How did this happen? What happened?” Edward said in an interview on Wednesday.
The shooting occurred around 1 a.m. Tuesday near Bergen and Ege avenues, after officers approached Rogers, who they said was acting suspiciously, according to Jersey City Public Safety Director James Shea.
Shea said officers from a street crime unit were monitoring a corner known for fights and late-night bar activity when they noticed Rogers wearing a heavy puffy coat with the hood up, a mask and mirrored sunglasses.
Officers said they believed they saw a bulge on his side, Shea said in an interview.
As a rideshare vehicle pulled up nearby, Rogers reached toward his waist in “an aggressive manner,” according to Shea. Officers then called for backup to stop him on Bergen Avenue.
When backup units arrived, Rogers opened fire on their vehicle, Shea said.
City officials said the encounter happened so quickly that one officer jumped out of the moving police car to return fire, striking Rogers. Officers attempted lifesaving measures at the scene before an ambulance took Rogers to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, officials said.
“The entire incident is captured on body camera footage and will be released to the community,” Shea said. “I hope [the attorney general’s office] will release it as soon as possible.”
The New Jersey attorney general’s office, which investigates all police-involved shootings in the state, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Robinson said Rogers was visiting from Texas at the time of the shooting. She said his 7-year-old daughter placed flowers at a street memorial decorated with candles and his hat.
“She is only 7 years old, so I don’t think she fully understands that her father’s not coming back,” she said.
[ad_2]
Charles Lane, Brittany Kriegstein
Source link