The family of Maurice Gordon Jr., an unarmed black man who was shot dead by a New Jersey state soldier in traffic obstruction last May, has filed a civil lawsuit against the officer and the state alleged it was a “racist lawsuit.” “. biased incident.
The lawsuit was brought by Gordon’s father, Maurice Gordon Sr., and his mother, Racquell Barrett, as administrators of his estate.
“The family alleges that Junior’s constitutional and other rights have been violated and that racism in police work has led to excessive violence and the unjustified death of Junior and is calling for a judicial process by a jury,” his lawyer William Wagstaff said in a statement .
Gordon’s death made headlines across the country after the Attorney General’s Office posted a series of videos and details in the early hours of May 23, 2020 highlighting Gordon’s four separate interactions with law enforcement as the New York native on Garden State Parkway drove.
The fourth station – carried out by State Police Sgt. Randall Wetzel – would be fatal.
Just before 6:30 a.m. on May 23, Wetzel pulled Gordon over for driving 110 mph on the Garden State Parkway south near Exit 50 in Bass River. This is evident from details released by the Attorney General’s office.
Unknown to Wetzel, Gordon had already interacted with law enforcement three times that morning after his car ran out of gas several times and he was stopped again for speeding. An off duty officer told a police officer, on a dash cam video, that Gordon was “a little squirrel” and that “there is something strange here”.
The day before Gordon’s death, a friend in Gordon’s hometown of Poughkeepsie, New York, alerted local law enforcement with concerns about Gordon’s state of mind. The lawsuit alleges that Gordon has had “psychiatric difficulties” in the past, despite having no criminal record or a violent past.
In his third interaction with the police on May 23, he told a soldier who dragged him over the pace near Exit 62 that he was “trying to get to a very distant place … The end of the Video game “.
Wetzel stopped him 13 minutes later for speeding.
When Wetzel and Gordon waited in separate vehicles for a tow truck to move Gordon’s vehicle further out of the median after the restart, Wetzel invited Gordon to sit in the police cruiser after Gordon got out of his car.
Gordon was in the back of the soldier’s vehicle, but he didn’t seem coherent or understand Wetzel, who asked where Gordon was going. After 20 minutes, Wetzel got out of the driver’s seat to give Gordon a face mask.
Meanwhile, Gordon tried to get out of the cruiser, which the Attorney General said led to a confrontation.
The men had two arguments within 90 seconds after Gordon tried to get to the driver’s side of the soldier’s vehicle. Wetzel shot six shots in Gordon’s upper body, killing him, according to a video released by the Attorney General’s office.
“He was in my car,” Wetzel told another officer who arrived at the scene shortly after the shooting. “When I tried to give him a mask, he got out of the car. We fought on the side of the road. He tried to run into my car. I took him out. Sprayed him. We fought again. He ran away from me, tried to jump into my soldier’s car (and grab my gun). We fought with my gun and I shot him. He is already tied up. He is tied up and dejected. “
Gordon was unarmed and his attorney has denied that Gordon started the altercations or attempted to seize the soldier’s firearm.
28-year-old Maurice Gordon from Poughkeepsie, pictured with his mother Racquell Barrett from London, was killed by a police officer on Garden State Parkway in May 2020.Provided
The lawsuit does not contain any new information about Gordon’s death. Attorney General Gurbir Grewal and his office have “refused to release any relevant information about the events related to the death of the 28-year-old in his possession”.
Wagstaff also accused Grewal’s office of allegedly failing to submit Gordon’s death to a large jury for possible prosecution of those involved.
The attorney general declined to comment on the lawsuit or the status of the case. In June, the bureau announced that “the shooting is still under investigation.”
In addition to Grewal and the state of New Jersey, Wetzel and Colonel Patrick Callahan are being sued by the family. Neither of them immediately responded to a request for comment.
“Grewal and Callahan knew, or should have known, that New Jersey state police officers have in the past committed racism and racially diverse enforcement actions in the performance of their duties,” the lawsuit said.
The lawsuit alleges that the state “did not protect” Gordon by failing to ensure that “adequate safeguards were in place” to protect minority citizens “from unequal or racially biased acts, including, in this case, the use of lethal force.” .
Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe to NJ.com today.
Joe Atmonavage can be reached at [email protected].
Do you have a tip? Tell us: nj.com/tips.
Comments are closed.