A Black man in New Jersey was shot by police officers dressed in civilian clothes when he went to his car to retrieve his iced tea on Feb. 12, NBC News reports.
Jajuan R. Henderson, 29, is now paralyzed from the chest down after officers shot him four times, according to the civil lawsuit filed by his lawyers, HuffPost reports.
The court document filed against the city of Trenton lists the director of Trenton police, Steve E. Wilson, and the four officers involved in Henderson’s shooting.
“In the middle of the night, Jajuan sat lawfully parked in a car with the engine turned off when an unidentified dark car approached and parked next to him, boxing him in,” the lawsuit said, HuffPost reports. “A group of men, fully masked and in dark plain clothes, then jumped out of this mysterious vehicle and began yelling at Jajuan.”
“A Black man sitting in a car at midnight while on a cell phone was all the unidentified police needed to smash the driver’s side window. Despite being unarmed, nonthreatening, and minding his own business, the police proceeded to use lethal force and shoot Jajuan in the neck. It is a miracle Jajuan survived,” the lawsuit added, NBC News reports.
A Mercer County detective who watched the police body camera footage documented in an affidavit that
Henderson was uncooperative with the officers from the Street Crimes Unit who attempting a motor vehicle stop at 12:10 a.m., NJ.com reports.
Henderson is accused of not providing identification, a driver’s license, registration or insurance forms. Authorities said the 29-year-old was on the phone and refusing to roll down the driver’s window.
Yet, Henderson’s lawyers argue that their client could not identify the officers because they were in plainclothes and donning masks.
Originally, Henderson was charged with aggravated assault, but the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office dismissed the charges. He is still facing resisting arrest and obstruction of justice charges.
“The City of Trenton has fully complied with the required Attorney General’s review of the February 12 incident, and await the findings,” spokesman Tim Carroll said, HuffPost reports. “The City has no comment on any pending litigation.”
The four officers involved in the shooting are on administrative leave.
