Crime & Safety
Man Fatally Shot By Police In Jersey City: NJ Attorney General
A Jersey City officer fatally shot a man at home, officials said. Grieving relatives told a reporter they only called the hospital for help.
JERSEY CITY, NJ — After a man was fatally shot by a Jersey City police officer on Sunday afternoon, the state Attorney General's Office is investigating, they said.
[UPDATE: The city defended its officer's actions on Monday. See an update here.]
The shooting occurred at 2:28 p.m. near Randolph and Bramhall avenues in the city's Bergen-Lafayette section, according to officials.
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The man's identity is not being released at this time.
The Attorney General's Office said that according to a preliminary investigation, at approximately 2:28 p.m., officers responded to a home on Randolph Avenue after emergency medical services personnel requested the assistance of police.
Find out what's happening in Jersey Cityfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
One Jersey City police officer fired his service weapon, and a male civilian was struck, the AG's Office said.
The man was taken to a local hospital and pronounced dead at approximately 4:47 p.m.
A report on WPIX news on Sunday evening quoted the family as saying they called Jersey City Medical Center's crisis unit for help because their 52-year-old relative was struggling with mental health issues. They said they're looking for answers, and didn't expect him to wind up dead.
“If you ask anyone who Andrew Jerome Washington is, they’ll tell you he’s a funny good person,” says Lisa Mendez, Washington’s aunt, in the PIX report.
The story has similarities to others that have occurred recently, prompting police departments to receive training for handling a mental health crisis. Earlier this year, police in Old Bridge fatally shot a young man after, according to the man's father, relatives called for help.
A 2019 state law requires the Attorney General’s Office to conduct investigations of any person’s death that occurs during an encounter with a law enforcement officer. The results of the investigation will be presented to a grand jury.
The investigation is ongoing, and officials would not release further information as of late Sunday night.
Patch will update this story when more information is available.
See prior Jersey City crime and public safety reporting here.
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