Videos of the fatal shooting of a 28-year-old black man last month by a white New Jersey State Trooper were released Monday by the state attorney general as the investigation into the case continues.
Maurice Gordon was shot by police on May 23 after his car became disabled during a routine traffic stop on the Garden State Parkway in New Jersey. The videos released by the state's attorney general show the interaction between Gordon and state trooper, who was identified as Sgt. Randall Wetzel, as Gordon's car ran out of gas.
The videos and audio recordings were released Monday due to the 'Independent Prosecutor Directive,' which "governs use-of-force investigations in New Jersey," the attorney general wrote in a press release. The directive requires that relevant records be released to the public when the first phase of the investigation is complete.
According to a press release, the incident began with a 911 call placed at approximately 3:23 a.m., when Gordon's friend called the police in Poughkeepsie, New York to express concern about Gordon's "wellbeing and whereabouts."
Several hours after the call, Gordon was stopped by Sgt. Wetzel for speeding at around 6:26 a.m. According to the press release, during the stop, Gordon's vehicle became disabled and Sgt. Wetzel called a tow truck, which led to Gordon sitting in the back seat of the patrol car to wait.
After about 21 minutes of waiting in the back seat of Sgt. Wetzel's car, Gordon exited the vehicle and Wetzel offered him a protective face mask, "resulting in a confrontation."
"During this confrontation, Mr. Gordon attempted to enter the driver seat of Sgt. Wetzel's vehicle on two occasions. After the first occasion, Sgt. Wetzel deployed oleoresin capsicum (OC) spray. After the second occasion, Sgt. Wetzel removed Mr. Gordon from the vehicle and, after a physical struggle on the left shoulder of the southbound Parkway, Sgt. Wetzel shot and killed Mr. Gordon with his service weapon," the press release says, adding that Wetzel shot Gordon six times before putting him in handcuffs.
The press release adds that at about 7:25 a.m. another state trooper arrived on scene to help Gordon but did not detect a pulse. "EMS arrived at the scene at approximately 7:28 a.m. and pronounced Mr. Gordon deceased," the press release adds.
In a recent interview with ABC News, Gordon's mother, Racquel Barrett spoke about her son's recent death.
"I want the world to know my son is genuinely a lovely, lovely, lovely young man," she said. "Not hearing his voice is making me weak every day."
"I think right now I'm in a nightmare," Barrett added. "This is a nightmare because this should have never happened to no one."
The attorney general's press release adds that the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner is currently completing the medical examination into Gordon's death. Wetzel has not been charged with any crime but the investigation is ongoing.
"When the entire investigation is complete, the case will be presented to a grand jury, typically consisting of 16 to 23 citizens, to make the ultimate decision regarding whether criminal charges will be filed. The Administrative Office of the Courts has temporarily suspended the convening of grand juries due to the COVID-19 pandemic," the press release states.
The videos of Gordon's death comes shortly after protests and riots have sparked across the U.S. following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Floyd died in police custody after being held down by four Minneapolis police officers. One of them, Derek Chauvin, knelt on Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes.
In multiple videos of Floyd's arrest, he can be heard repeatedly saying that he cannot breathe.
Newsweek reached out to the New Jersey State Police for further comment but did not receive a response in time for publication.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Matthew Impelli is a Newsweek staff writer based in New York. His focus is reporting social issues and crime. In ... Read more
