A New Jersey police officer has been charged with assault after a prosecutor found he violated the state’s use-of-force policy when he shot a Black man in the back and paralyzed him. The shooting happened in Paterson on June 11 of last year.
Officer Jerry Moravek of the Paterson Police Department was charged with second-degree aggravated assault and second-degree official misconduct for shooting 28-year-old Khalif Cooper in the back, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin announced Monday.
Cooper was left with bullet fragments in his spine and paralyzed after the police responded to a public street gathering outside of several apartment buildings near Garrison Street at around 7:30 p.m.
The video begins with Moravek arriving on the scene and telling everyone that they needed to leave due to a noise complaint. He’s heard speaking with another officer regarding a suspect with a gun. The unidentified officer makes reference to apprehending a suspect and having the weapon.
Moments later, gunfire can is heard in the distance. Moravek ran toward the gunfire near Marion Street while yelling, “Shots fired! Shots Fired!”
After Moravek saw Cooper running in the opposite direction from the sound of the gunfire, he changed course and began chasing Cooper before he shot him in the back.
“Yo! White hoodie! Drop the gun! Drop the gun!” Moravek yelled.
Moravek, 40, is never heard on the video telling Cooper to stop running or to get on the ground. He also never warned Cooper that he would shoot him before opening fire twice and hitting him in the lower back.
Attorney General Matt Platkin noted at a press conference, “The victim was never told to stop running. He was not warned that deadly force might be used. Unfortunately, the fact remains that Moravek fired as an unarmed subject running away without giving proper warnings.”
Cooper is heard repeatedly telling Moravek that he didn’t have a gun as he laid…
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