Experts: Officer Was Justified In Shooting Bridgeton Man
By David Spunt
BRIDGETON, NJ (CBS) -- One day after detectives released a dash cam video showing a police officer kill a man, experts tell Eyewitness News the shooting was justified.
The dash cam video shows officers Braheme Days and Roger Worley pull over a vehicle on Henry Street in Bridgeton on December 30th during a traffic stop. Police pulled over the vehicle after the driver ran through a stop sign.
In the video, Days approached the passenger side of the vehicle where Jerame Reid, 36, was sitting. Moments later, Days noticed a gun in the car and ordered Reid to stay in the car multiple times.
Reid exited the vehicle with his hands up at shoulder height. Days pulled the trigger and Reid fell to the ground. He died a short time later.
"I absolutely believe this was a justified shooting, said Dennis Tully, with Ronin Security Solutions.
Tully is a former New Jersey State Police captain. He has SWAT experience and spent more than two decades in high pressure situations. He says Officer Days handled the situation professionally.
"He verbalized very well throughout the entire stop. He did exactly what you would expect a seasoned, well-trained, experienced police officer to do," Tully said.
Eyewitness News also spoke to Philadelphia civil rights attorney Alan Yatvin. He specializes in police misconduct cases, and watched the video before our interview.
"I'm certainly critical of cops. I sue cops for a living when they do things wrong, and I'll be the first to praise them when they don't do things wrong," Yatvin said.
Yatvin says his only problem is the dash cam video.
"In police car videos, it's fixed, so you're not seeing what's happening in the car. You don't have the view that the officer has," Yatvin said.
Earlier this month, Prosecutor Jennifer Webb-McCrea excused herself from the investigation because she knows one of the officers involved. On Wednesday, Reid's family and friends held a news conference in Bridgeton.
Despite allegations the Cumberland County Prosecutor's office can't be objective investigating the shooting, the director of communications for the Attorney General's Office says the office will not take over the case.
"The Cumberland County Prosecutor's Office is handling the investigation and ultimately will present the case to a grand jury, unless the undisputed facts indicate that the use of force was justifiable under the law. The investigation's findings and conclusions will be reviewed by the Attorney General's Office," said Paul Loriquet.
