Jersey City Father Of Man Killed By Police: 'This Could Be Your Son'

LAURENCE HARBOR, NJ —The father of the 26-year-old man who was fatally shot by an Old Bridge police officer last Monday said he wants answers as to how this happened.

"I want everyone involved in this held accountable. I want the officer to be held liable. He used excessive force and killed my 26-year-old son. I can't bring my son back," Louis Mendez, 59, of Jersey City said.

His son is Luke Mendez, 26. He was fatally shot April 24 inside his home by Old Bridge Police Officer Christopher Hammel, according to New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin.

A knife was found near Mendez's body, Platkin said.

The elder Mendez was not in the home at the time of the fatal shooting; he was in Jersey City, where he lives.

Platkin's office declined to comment on anything Mendez said, citing the ongoing investigation.

As of Monday, no charges have been filed against Hammel; the investigation is still underway. Anytime someone is killed by a police officer in New Jersey, the Attorney General has to investigate, and present findings to a grand jury to decide if a crime occurred.

The family buried Luke on Friday.

"He's a good kid. A quiet boy who mostly stayed in his room. He didn't deserve this; nobody deserves this," Mendez said through tears in a phone interview. "My son was a law-abiding American who was gunned down and killed in his own home. A place where you're supposed to be safe. I thought our state was supposed to make changes to make sure police don't do things like this anymore."

At the time he was killed, Luke was living in a two-story home on Woodland Avenue with his mother, his aunt and his grandmother, said his father. Luke's parents were married for 35 years, but separated four years ago. Luke's older brother relocated to the Jersey City area with his father while Luke stayed behind in Old Bridge.

Mendez said his son was "very quiet" and often stayed in his room. He did not have a job, and he suffered from on and off depression, said his father.

"I tried to get my son to come up here and live with me. He wanted to stay there," he said.

"But he was a good kid," he continued. "He didn't drink, he didn't smoke. He wasn't involved in crime or anything. He was just a quiet, good kid who stayed in his room all the time."

A neighbor, who did want to be named, told Patch that there was "always fighting" in the home and that police were called there frequently.

Luke's Last Day

Shortly after 3 p.m. on April 24 Old Bridge Police again received a 911 call to come to the Woodland Avenue home. One officer was dispatched and arrived before 3: 10 p.m. During that call, the officer discharged his service weapon, striking Mendez. Mendez was taken to Old Bridge Medical Center where he was pronounced dead at 4:47 p.m.

Louis Mendez said Luke's grandmother witnessed the entire interaction and shooting of her grandson, and she was so upset she too had to be hospitalized. Neighbors said they saw two ambulances that day, and saw the elderly woman being carried out of the house.

Now, the father wants to know why the police officer did not de-escalate the situation, and instead immediately used deadly force against his son.

"Why don't you shoot him in the leg? Use rubber bullets, Tasers. That cop should have tased him or de-escalated it," he said.

This 2020 report from the Attorney General shows that not many police departments in New Jersey have Taser-like devices, however Old Bridge Police does have them.

Use of Force Under Fire

In 2020, after the death of George Floyd and others, the New Jersey Attorney General and Gov. Phil Murphy passed sweeping changes to how police can use force against civilians. The policy changes were specifically called "Reducing Use of Force by Law Enforcement."

For the first time in 20 years, New Jersey started re-training officers on use of force.

Here are some key orders from the Attorney General on how police are supposed to operate now in New Jersey:

• "Prohibit all (the Attorney General emphasized this) forms of physical force against a civilian, except as a last resort and only after the officer attempts to de-escalate the situation and provides the civilian with an opportunity to comply with the officer’s instructions."
• "Prohibit all forms of deadly force against a civilian – including chokeholds and strikes to the head or neck – except as an absolute last resort when the officer reasonably believes that such action is immediately necessary to protect the officer or another person from imminent danger of death or serious bodily injury."
• "Provide new guidance on the use of less-lethal force as an alternative to deadly force and as a tool for de-escalation."

In light of all this, Mendez's son was still killed by a police officer. And he wants to know why.

"I've been reading about all these changes; I thought police were supposed to not do this anymore," said Mendez.

Mendez is grieving. He recalled a recent weekend when Luke came up to visit him in Jersey City.

"We hung out; we rode bikes along the waterfront together. It was a really good weekend," Mendez said. "I wish he could have stayed with me, but he went back to that house. He just needed love."

Mendez said he has always been a supporter of the police, and at one point considered becoming an officer himself.

"The police issues that have been going around the country for the past few years reached my doorstep. I want everyone to know: This could be your children. This could be your son," he said.

Friday's report: Identity Released Of Old Bridge Man Killed By Police Officer