Shooting of Jerame Reid
| Date | Saturday, December 30, 2014 |
|---|---|
| Location | Bridgeton, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Participants |
|
| Deaths | Jerame Reid |
| Charges | None filed |
The shooting of Jerame Reid occurred on December 30, 2014, in Bridgeton, New Jersey. The encounter was captured on a video that was released on January 22, 2015.
Details
The two-minute fatal encounter started from a routine traffic stop, in which Bridgeton officers Braheme Days and Roger Worley pulled over a vehicle for running through a stop sign. While questioning the two men in the car, Leroy Tutt and Jerame Reid, the video shows Days suddenly shouting to his partner, "We've got a gun in his glove compartment!" followed by "Show me your fucking hands." Days, who appears to recognize Reid, as he is heard calling him by his first name, retrieves a large silver handgun from the glove compartment. Days continues to warn Reid to not move, as Reid continues to move his hands around inside the vehicle. Several times, Days exclaims, "He's reaching for something!" As the situation intensifies, someone in the vehicle can be heard telling the officers, "I'm not reaching for nothing. I ain't got no reason to reach for nothing." Reid then tells Days, "I'm getting out and getting on the ground." The officer responds, "No you're not, stay right there, don't move."
A struggle ensues as Reid tries to push the door open, and the officer attempts to keep the door closed. Days steps back, and Reid pushes the door open, gets up, and exits the car with his hands at chest level. Days backs up and fires as Reid exits the vehicle. Reid reacts to the shots by moving his hands upwards. Worley fires one shot, and Reid is killed.[1][2] Reid was unarmed.[3]
Legal proceedings
According to a statement from the Cumberland County Prosecutor's Office, the two officers told investigators that they feared for their lives, believing that Reid was reaching for a weapon. On August 20, 2015, a grand jury voted not to file charges against the two officers involved in the shooting.[4]
Braheme Days
Braheme Days is African American and formerly worked as a personal finance teacher at Woodbury High School in 2009.[5] A 2011 article wrote that Days, aged 31 and a father of two, grew up in Bridgeton. During a meeting of Bridgeton residents, Days suggested violence is a "many-headed beast, and we are going to have to attack it from many angles".[6] Days is the father of Braheme Days, Jr., a shot putter from Gridgeton High School.[7]
Days joined the Bridgeton police force in 2012 after training in the academy for six months. He was praised by Police Chief Mark Ott for winning "four out of the five awards given to recruits in his graduating class". Cumberland County Prosecutor Jennifer Webb-McRae, who knew Days through another community leadership position he held, praised Days' "excellent character".[8] In August 2014, Days and Patrolman Edward Connolly were allegedly shot at by Tyshaun S. Milledge while investigating a burglary. Milledge pleaded not guilty to the charge of shooting at the officers.[9]
Between 2012 and the Reid shooting, there had been nine municipal court complaints filed alleging that Days had "stopped, searched or charged for no reason", but these complaints were dismissed with the reason of a lack of probable cause. In October 2014, a video emerged of a Bridgeton police officer spraying a handcuffed suspect with what appears to be pepper spray, with the suspect questioning why the "macing" was being used against him. People at the scene and within the video identified Days by name as the officer. In February 2015, a lawsuit was filed against Braheme Days by Shakera Brown. Brown claimed that from January to December 2014, Days extorted her for sex in exchange for not sending her to jail.[10][11][12]
References
- ↑ Oh, Inae. "Terrifying Video Shows Black Man 'With His Hands Raised' Shot To Death By New Jersey Cop". Mother Jones. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
- ↑ Carlin, Sean; Mulvihill, Geoff. "Relationship Between City, Police at Issue After Shooting". Associated Press. Archived from the original on January 24, 2015. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
- ↑ BARLAS, THOMAS. "Police video shows details of fatal Bridgeton shooting". Pressofatlanticcity.com. Press of Atlantic City. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
- ↑ "No charges against police in fatal NJ shooting". Associated Press. August 20, 2015.
- ↑ "Student store opens in Woodbury High School". nj.com. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
- ↑ Zager, Matt. "Bridgeton fights back". The Daily Journal. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
- ↑ Hummel, Jack. "Firefighter-Police line-ups; Singers on TV; Big Millville Day; BEN Column, Aug.9,, Update 1". nj.com. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
- ↑ Taniguchi, Lauren T. "Bridgeton City Council recognizes Little League All-Stars, welcomes new police officers". nj.com. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
- ↑ "Fairfield man accused of shooting at police pleads not guilty". nj.com. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
- ↑ Kent, Spencer. "Woman claims cop in fatal Bridgeton shooting sexually extorted her, lawsuit says". nj.com. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
- ↑ Barlas, Thomas. "Widow sues in shooting of husband by Bridgeton police". The Press of Atlantic City. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
- ↑ Moran, Robert. "N.J. officer in shooting probe accused of extorting sex". philly.com. Retrieved 8 April 2015.