New Jersey attorney general releases body cam video from deadly police shooting in Elizabeth
By: The New Jersey Attorney General's Office has released police body camera footage of officers shooting a man wielding a knife.
The footage shows an Elizabeth police officer shoot the 42-year-old man one time in his chest. The man was transported to the hospital, where he died.
State law requires the attorney general's office to investigate every death that occurs at the hands of police officers.
Minutes after a 911 call came in on July 29, Elizabeth police officers went to a multifamily home on Amity Street.
The video, which was released and edited by the attorney general's office, shows the officers knock and then walk in to screaming down the hall.
One cop draws his gun as a man wearing red comes into the hall. In one hand, he has what appears to be a kitchen knife. In the other, it looks like he's holding on to a woman-though that was blurred by the attorney general.
The officer then fires. The man in red, 42-year-old Estiben Alegria-Hurtado, later died.
"Shoot first and ask questions later. That's what this video shows," attorney Sanford Rubenstein said.
After the shooting, police say they recovered the knife.
"Where's the knife?" an officer asks.
"He tried to kill me," a woman says.
Activists and attorneys stood with Alegria-Hurtado's family Monday and said they were traumatized by the video.
"The video shows the officers are walking inside. They did not identify themselves. They did not say who they were. They did not tell him to drop the knife. They did not tell him to drop the weapon. All they did was shoot to kill," said the Rev. Kevin McCall, a community activist.
The Elizabeth Police Department has not responded to CBS New York's request for comment. However, Ruby Contreras, the public information director for the city of Elizabeth, did issue the following statement to CBS New York:
"The attorney general release of the Elizabeth Police Department body cam video is a clear view of an unfortunate incident involving our officers defending and protecting a woman that could have resulted in a domestic violence homicide," Contreras said.
When the attorney general's investigation is complete, the case will be presented to a grand jury to decide whether criminal charges should be filed.