New Jersey cops in hot water after questionable shooting kills man
Disturbing dash-cam footage–which we’ve attached at the bottom of the page if you’re inclined to view it–released by the Bridgeton Police Department in New Jersey shows a routine traffic stop gone horribly, fatally wrong.
The incident, which took place last month (Dec. 30), involves two officers, Braheme Days and Roger Worley, who pull over two men, Leroy Tutt and Jerame Reid, in a sedan and make them aware that the reason they’ve been pulled over is due to their blowing of a stop sign on “South Pine Street.” At the 1:12 mark, Officer Days speaks into the passenger side window of the car, and asks the driver of the vehicle, Leroy Tutt, to produce his driver’s license.
Officer Days: You got a driver’s license?
Tutt: Yeah, I’ve got my driver’s license
Officer Days: Can you grab it for me?
After this exchange and a few seconds of inaudible mumbling, the police officer quickly draws his weapon, and points it directly into the vehicle, asking both men to show their hands.
Officer Days: Show me your hands! Show me your f*****g hands! Don’t you move! Don’t you f*****g move!
It’s clear from the video that at least one of the passengers–Tutt–has both of his hands in the air. As Days is instructing the men to be still, his partner, Officer Worley, approaches the driver’s side of the sedan, gun drawn and flashlight raised (1:23). Days is barking instructions at him.
Officer Days: Get ’em out the car Rog! He’s got a gun in his glove compartment.
Days then reminds both men not to “f*****g move.” At this point, things take a horrific turn.
After a few more seconds of reminding the men not to move, Days changes his rhetoric (1:42).
Officer Days: I’m telling you, I’m gonna shoot you. You’re gon’ be f*****g dead. I’m telling you. You reach for something you gon’ be f*****g dead. I’m telling you. I’m telling you. Keep your f*****g hands right there. Hey, Jerome, you’re reaching for something you’re going to be f*****g dead. He’s reaching, he’s reaching! Show me your f*****g hands.
At the 2:02 mark, Days appears to be struggling to get the passenger side door open, and he’s still barking inside of the car, “No you not. No you not, don’t f*****g move!” While Days is struggling, his partner, Officer Worley has his gun trained on the driver, Leroy Tutt, who has both of his hands hanging outside of the driver’s side window. After a few seconds of struggling, Officer Days flings the passenger side door open (2:05), and points his gun directly at Reid, who exits the car with what appears to be, despite the dim lighting of the dash-cam footage, two hands raised slightly in the air. Reid was out of the car for less than 3 seconds before Officer Days fires several shots at him at point blank range, and Reid falls at Days’ feet. As Reid laid on the ground, Days shouted at him again to be still.
Shortly after the shots were fired, Officer Worley springs to action (2:15), and instructs Tutt to get out of the car and onto the ground, where he is cuffed and then brought to his feet and into custody.
Thus far, both officers have been placed on administrative leave, while authorities investigate the incident extensively.
