The New Jersey Attorney General's office has released videos of a state trooper shooting a 28-year-old black man, who was killed just two days before the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
The victim, Maurice Gordon, was killed after a routine traffic stop on the Garden State Parkway after his car ran out of gas during the traffic stop, reports Newsweek.
The videos and audio recordings of Gordon and the white state trooper, identified as Sgt. Randall Wetzel, were released through the independent Prosecutor Directive, a rule that governs investigations into use of force investigations in New Jersey, according to a press release issued with the video.
The incident started at about 3:23 a.m. after a friend of Gordon's called the police in Poughkeepsie, NY to voice concern about his wellbeing.
About three hours later, Wetzel stopped Gordon on the parkway for speeding, and during the stop, Gordon's vehicle became disabled and Wetzel called a tow truck. After 21 minutes of waiting, the press release said, Gordon got out of the car and a confrontation ensued after Wetzel gave tried to give him a face mask.
Gordon tried to get into Wetzel's cruiser twice, the video shows, and after the first time, used oleoresin capsicum, or pepper spray. The second time, Wetzel removed Gordon from the car and then shot and killed him. Gordon was shot about 6 times before he was put in handcuffs. Another state trooper arrived on the scene at about 7:25 a.m., and Gordon was pronounced dead by an emergency squad at 7:28 a.m.
A medical examination is being conducted by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, and Wetzel has not yet been charged with a crime.
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Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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