At a time when police officers around the nation are under extra scrutiny, Officers Braheme Days and Roger Worley of the Bridgeton, New Jersey police department may have crossed the line during a routine traffic stop.
Based on a dashcam video of an incident that occurred at 9:20 p.m. on December 30, 2014 at the intersection of Henry Street and South Avenue, an unarmed black man, Jerame Reid, was shot to death by the officers who pulled over the vehicle for running a stop sign. Witness accounts claimed that Reid was complying with Officer Days’ request to exit the car with his hands up.
After the initial introductions, the video shows the situation quickly escalated as Days yelled “Show me your hands. Show me your f—— hands,” after he noticed a gun in the glove compartment. After retrieving the gun, Days continued with his verbal commands. He yelled “Don’t you f—— move!” just as Reid was trying to exit. Six shots were fired from the two officer’s guns.
As Reid laid dead in the passenger seat, the driver was removed, frisked and cuffed. The video goes a long way in supporting witness accounts of the incident. One witness, Ben Mosley — a retired sheriff’s deputy, mentioned that he thought the victim may have been trying to get back into the car after he began his exit, but didn’t feel those actions were threatening or warranted the use of excessive force.
The video, which has not yet been released to the public, was obtained by the Press of Atlantic City and is sure to be a key part of the ongoing investigation.