No Criminal Charges For Newark Police After Fatal Shooting

NEWARK, NJ — A state grand jury has voted not to file any criminal charges in connection with a fatal police shooting in Newark last year, prosecutors announced Tuesday.

Officers from the Newark Police Department fatally shot Everett Rand, 29, of Newark, in May 2023. Body camera footage of the shooting was previously released, and can be viewed online here. WARNING: Video may not be suitable for younger or sensitive viewers.

Newark officers responded to a home on Johnson Avenue on May 3, 2023 after getting a 911 call about a shooting. Here’s what happened next, according to the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office:

“Responding officers observed a man (Rand) leaving the residence and discarding an item in a nearby dumpster. Multiple officers then chased Mr. Rand while other officers gained entry to the home on Johnson Avenue. [An officer said that he] observed Mr. Rand reach into his waistband during the foot pursuit and grab what appeared to be a handgun. [The officer] then fell to the ground as he discharged his firearm at Mr. Rand several times. [Another officer] also fired his weapon at Mr. Rand.”

After the gunfire ended, the officers provided medical aid to Rand until EMS crews arrived at the scene. Rand was taken to University Hospital in Newark, where he was pronounced deceased at 9:14 p.m.

Meanwhile, other officers entered the home to find a grisly scene, prosecutors continued:

“When police entered the residence, they found a 27-year-old man from Newark deceased from a gunshot wound and an 8-year-old boy who had been struck by gunfire. The child was transported to University Hospital in Newark where he was later pronounced deceased. The Essex County Prosecutor’s Office investigated the shootings that happened in the residence. The investigation revealed that a third person sustained non-life-threatening injuries from being shot while inside the Johnson Avenue home.”

Officers found a handgun in Rand’s possession after his arrest. Further investigation revealed that Rand discarded another weapon – a handgun with a “large-capacity magazine” – in the dumpster when police first spotted him, authorities said.

Rand's death was investigated by the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability and presented to New Jersey residents serving on the grand jury. The investigation included witness interviews, video footage, ballistics, and autopsy results from the medical examiner, prosecutors said.

After hearing the testimony and evidence, the grand jury concluded its deliberations on July 8 and voted “no bill,” meaning that jurors decided no criminal charges should be filed against the Newark police officers involved in the shooting.

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