NJ Family Files Lawsuit After Fatal Police Shooting In Newark

NEWARK, NJ — The family members of a man who was fatally shot by Newark police last year have filed a lawsuit against the officer who shot him, several other unnamed officers, the local police department and the city.

The civil lawsuit, filed by the relatives of Carl Dorsey III, is seeking punitive damages, costs and attorney fees. It accuses police of committing excessive force during the encounter, and accuses the city of failing to train officers properly.

Read the full complaint and jury demand at the bottom of this article.

Advocates including Lawrence Hamm of the People’s Organization for Progress and Zayid Muhammad of Newark Communities for Accountable Policing were present to support the family during a news conference to announce the suit on Wednesday.

Advocates have maintained that Dorsey, 39, was unarmed during the shooting, which took place on New Year’s Day. Read More: Police-Involved Shooting In Newark Raises Questions, Spurs Rally

In the wake of the police shooting, New Jersey Attorney General’s Office released video surveillance footage taken at the scene, as well as the following statement:

“According to the preliminary investigation, the shooting occurred shortly after midnight near Woodland Avenue and South 11th Street in Newark, N.J. Officers responded to the area on reports of gunfire. After Detective [Rod] Simpkins got out of his car, there was brief physical contact between him and Mr. Dorsey and Detective Simpkins fired his 9mm service weapon one time, striking Mr. Dorsey. No firearm was recovered from Mr. Dorsey or his immediate area. Officers provided medical aid to Mr. Dorsey and he was transported by emergency medical personnel to University Hospital in Newark, where he was pronounced deceased at approximately 1:37 a.m. While the Newark Police Department employs body and dash cameras, there is no police video of the incident. The officers in this case, including Detective Simpkins, were in plain clothes and in unmarked vehicles, and were not equipped with body or dash cameras.”

The footage shared by the attorney general’s office – which comes from a nearby security camera – shows a chaotic scene, with several people running in panic after apparently hearing a gunshot. It can be seen here.

The week prior to the shooting, the Newark Public Safety Department said that no local police officer had fired a shot in 2020, which some experts lauded as a major accomplishment and a sign that reforms in the department are working. Read More: Violent Crime Up In Newark For 2021, But Down Over 3-Year Period

After reviewing video footage of the shooting last year, Mayor Ras Baraka said he found it to be “tragic and disturbing,” but also “incomplete.” Baraka added that the city and its police department would be looking into expanding the use of body cameras to include plainclothes units. Read More: Newark Mayor On Police Shooting: 'Tragic, Disturbing, Incomplete'

That new policy took effect in January 2021. Read More: Newark Now Requires Most Plainclothes Cops To Wear Body Cameras