By Nicolas Fernandes | NJ.com
nj.com
JERSEY CITY, N.J. — Body cam and surveillance footage released on Wednesday shows the suspect in a fatal police-involved shooting attacking an officer after being shot.
The encounter happened on Sept. 5 of last year near the intersection of JFK Boulevard and Clinton Avenue. The suspect, previously identified as Steven B. Sanchez, 26, of Jersey City, died from gunshot wounds, authorities said. Sgt. Ricardo Reyes has been identified as the officer who shot him. An air pistol that he had been armed with was recovered from the scene, officials said.
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On Wednesday, the state Attorney General’s Office released surveillance and body cam videos in accordance with state laws. (Warning: The videos contains violent content and graphic language.)
In the footage, multiple Jersey City Police officers can be seen standing near parked cars, drawing their weapons and demanding Sanchez to drop the air pistol. Sanchez can be seen on the sidewalk pointing the gun at officers.
During the encounter, a passerby on the sidewalk quickly runs away after the officers alert him about the armed suspect. Officers are then heard telling Sanchez to drop the weapon more than five times before he is shot.
“Put it down. Put it down. Put it down,” one of the officers says leading up to the shooting. “Don’t do it. Hey listen, put it down. Put it down. Put it down.”
In a surveillance clip, one of the officers also appears to have been shot with the air pistol before shots are fired at Sanchez. After Sanchez is shot, he is seen in the footage charging at, and attacking, one of the officers. He then becomes involved in a struggle with the three officers before he is eventually placed in handcuffs, the video shows.
The encounter unfolded shortly before 1:30 p.m. on Sept. 5 after Reyes and two other Jersey City officers were investigating whether shots had been fired at their patrol vehicles. They then made U-Turns in their police cruisers at the intersection of JFK Boulevard and Clinton Avenue, where they encountered Sanchez, the Attorney General’s Office said.
Police and EMS personnel treated Sanchez before he was transported to RWJBarnabas Health Jersey City Medical Center. He was pronounced dead at the hospital at 8:45 p.m., state officials said.
A 2019 law requires the state Attorney General’s Office to investigate any death that occurs during an encounter with law enforcement or when a person is in police custody. Evidence from the investigation is later presented to a grand jury to determine if any officer will be indicted.
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