What to Know
- An investigation is underway after police shot and killed a man in Vineland, New Jersey Saturday morning.
- Witnesses said the confrontation lasted for more than ten minutes and the man appeared to have a water bottle in his hand.
- The Cumberland County Prosecutor’s Office is investigating the incident.
UPDATE: The officer who shot and killed Rashaun Washington was placed on administrative leave and NBC10 obtained new viewer video of the incident. Details here.
An investigation is underway after police shot and killed a man in Vineland, New Jersey, Saturday morning.
Police were called to West Wood Street between Boulevard and 4th Street around 11:20 a.m. for a report of a man acting suspiciously. When they arrived, they found a man standing on the front porch of a home.
An encounter between the officers and the man lasted for several minutes. At some point the officers shot and killed 37-year-old Rashaun Washington, of Bridgeton, New Jersey. Investigators have not yet revealed whether he was armed or what led to the shooting.
Video obtained by NBC10 shows multiple officers, some with their guns drawn, lined up on Wood Street near a shirtless man standing in a yard.
“Walking back and forth, pacing back and forth,” Ryonna Maven, a witness, said. “I’m sure he was paranoid. Big guns in his face.”
Witnesses said the confrontation lasted for more than ten minutes and Washington appeared to have a water bottle in his hand. One witness said Washington told police he wasn’t going to give himself up.
“The guy came around the car and he came toward them and they shot him three times,” Christopher Cueves, another witness, told NBC10.
Cueves said he was traumatized by the shooting.
“Very difficult especially when you see blood splatter,” he said.
Jose Pagan, another witness, said he had met Washington several times.
“This is very tragic and I want to send my condolences to the family,” Pagan said.
Pagan said he doesn't believe Washington should have died.
"Something has to be done here with the Vineland Police," he said. "They're trigger happy."
Walter Hudson, the leader of the National Awareness Alliance, told NBC10 he's reaching out to Washington's family to offer condolences and is also pushing for answers from police.
Local
Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood.
"I was outraged," Hudson said. "It's another case of police brutality. He did not deserve to be shot. He deserved to be taken into custody and further evaluated. His shirt was off. Didn't see no gun."
The Cumberland County Prosecutor’s Office is investigating the incident. If you have any information, please call Det. Joseph Lowry of the CCPO at 856-453-0486 x11197.
