Knife-Wielding NJ Man Charged At Cops Before He Was Fatally Shot: Video

HILLSBOROUGH, NJ — Graphic video footage and three 911 calls from a fatal police shooting involving a 19-year-old Hillsborough man holding a knife on Jan. 9 were released by the New Jersey Attorney General's Office on Monday.

Joshua Mathis, 19, of Corporal Langon Way, died in the shooting.

"I have a gun and if you come close to me, I will kill you and me ... I'm sorry," said Mathis on a 911 call. "If I was you I would hurry. I have a weapon," continues Mathis.

A woman in the background can be heard saying, "You ain't got no weapon."

Another 911 call from a woman at the apartment tells the operator, "I have a kid who lives with me and he is going through some things right now. He's got a knife in his hand."

The body camera video footage from officers shows police driving in their vehicles before arriving at the apartment complex. Police split up, with some officers evacuating neighboring units.

Officers are equipped with a shield and a Taser as they enter the unit and find Mathis standing in the kitchen holding a knife.

"Put the knife down, bro," an officer can be heard saying.

"I'm going to charge you," said Mathis.

"No. Don't charge please," said the officer. "No one is coming any closer. This is your space. Can you listen to me?"

"I don't want to listen to nobody. I am ready. Take your gun and shoot me," said Mathis.

"No! Never, never gonna happen, bro," says the officer.

"I give you until the count of 30 before you shoot me," said Mathis.

Mathis then pulls out a fake gun from his waistband, which officers immediately say is a fake. Mathis throws the gun to the floor before saying, "You are at 20 now."

Officers try to distract Mathis by asking what music he likes to listen to, but he doesn't want to talk.

"Just give me 2 minutes, 120 seconds, to talk. Give me that. Then we will do what we gotta do," said the officer.

Mathis then begins walking toward the officers and then charging with the knife. Police immediately shoot him with a Taser, and there is a scuffle with screaming and the two shots fired by Officer Christopher Michaels.

Mathis is seen on the ground bleeding as police begin first aid and call for help. Mathis was pronounced dead at the scene at 6:51 p.m.

The recordings are posted online: Click here for recordings. (WARNING: The videos are extremely graphic and disturbing.)

This investigation is being conducted pursuant to Attorney General Directive 2019-4, which implements the statutory requirement that the Attorney General's Office conduct the investigation of any 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, and which establishes clear standards and procedures for conducting such investigations.

The investigation is ongoing, and no further information is being released at this time.

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