Man Told Cops He Had Explosive Device Before Shooting: Prosecutor

A South Jersey man told police officers he had an explosive device wrapped in a t-shirt before he was fatally shot by one of the officers in an incident over the weekend, authorities revealed on Thursday.

According to body worn camera footage of the incident, 37-year-old Rashaun Washington, of Bridgeton, alluded to having an explosive device wrapped in a t-shirt when he was confronted by police officers outside a home on Wood Street in Vineland on Saturday morning, July 14.

During the 28-minute encounter, police used a canine for about 15 seconds in an attempt to immobilize Washington and seize the device from him, according to the Cumberland County Prosecutor’s Office.

During the encounter, one of the officers fatally shot Washington. That officer has been placed on administrative leave by the Vineland Police Department, according to the prosecutor’s office.

The video later revealed that the item wrapped in the shirt was an 8 ¼ inch bladed garden shear, the prosecutor’s office said.

Vineland police had been called to the scene after it was reported that Washington was “acting suspiciously” while on the front porch of the home.

The investigation is being conducted by the Cumberland County Prosecutor's Office in accordance with Attorney General Directive 2006-05 regarding Uniform Statewide Procedures and Best Practices for Conducting Police Use of Force Investigations, according to the CCPO.

Anyone wishing to share information may contact Detective Joseph Lowry of the CCPO at 856-453-0486, ext. 11197.

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