The New Jersey Attorney General’s Office has released police body camera and and surveillance videos from when a Jersey City man opened fire on police cars and was subsequently killed by an officer back on September 5th.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
The AG’s Office previously identified the decedent who fired at the law enforcement vehicles as Steven Sanchez and the officer who fired the fatal shot as Jersey City Police Sgt. Ricardo Reyes, as HCV first reported.
According to the investigation by the the Attorney General’s Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA), at about 1:22 p.m. on September 5th, two Jersey City cops were traveling southbound on John F. Kennedy Boulevard (JFK Blvd.) in a marked police car.
Simultaneously, Reyes was traveling northbound in a separate marked police vehicle.
According to his later-given statement to law enforcement, he made a U-turn to determine if someone had shot at his vehicle.
Further, a civilian who from the scene who gave a statement to law enforcement said he pointed out to Reyes an individual, later identified as Sanchez – who was walking southbound at the time – as the person who had shot at his vehicle.
A short distance away, the two officers in the other southbound marked police car similarly made a U-turn. According to their later-given statements to law enforcement, they also sought to investigate if someone had shot at them.
At approximately 1:23 p.m., the two uniformed officers exited their police vehicle on JFK Boulevard near Clinton Avenue. They observed Sanchez to be in possession of what appeared to be a handgun and began issuing commands for him to drop the weapon.
Sanchez did not comply, instead pointing the weapon in the officers’ direction, the redacted videos released today show. Reyes then exited his police vehicle and exchanged fire with Sanchez, who was struck and injured.
After being struck, Sanchez fired his weapon in the direction of officers and ran towards Reyes.
A physical struggle ensued and Sanchez resisted being handcuffed and apprehended, screaming loudly before officers eventually subdued him and took him into custody.
The officers rendered medical aid until EMS arrived. Sanchez was subsequently transported to the Jersey City Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at approximately 8:45 p.m.
Reyes sustained a non-life-threatening injury during the encounter and no other officers or civilians were injured during the incident.
A compressed air pistol, as well as numerous projectiles believed to have been fired from that weapon, were recovered at the scene.
New Jersey state statute requires the AG’s Office to conduct investigations of a person’s death that occurs during an encounter with a law enforcement officer acting in the officer’s official capacity or while the decedent is in custody.
It also requires that all such investigations be presented to a grand jury to determine if the evidence supports the return of an indictment against the officer or officers involved.
The investigation is ongoing and no further information is being released at this time.
The recordings released today can be viewed here.
