NJ attorney general releases video, audio recordings of state trooper's fatal shooting of Poughkeepsie man

The New Jersey Attorney General’s Office on Monday released the dashcam video and audio recordings of a Poughkeepsie man being fatally shot by a New Jersey state trooper.

News 12 Staff

Jun 9, 2020, 12:04 AM

Updated 1,656 days ago

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The New Jersey Attorney General’s Office on Monday released the dashcam video and audio recordings of a Poughkeepsie man being fatally shot by a New Jersey state trooper.
Video shows 28-year-old Maurice Gordon being shot by Sgt. Randall Wetzell during a physical altercation on the Garden State Parkway in Bass River, New Jersey, on May 23.
Gordon was unarmed at the time. Investigators say a friend of Gordon called the police a few hours before the shooting, saying he was worried about Gordon's well-being.
There were four encounters with state police on the parkway in a span of about three hours, according to officials. Around 3:15 a.m., Gordon ran out of gas in Brick Township. Just before 5 a.m., authorities say that Gordon again needed a tow truck in Waretown.
Around 6:15 a.m., Gordon was stopped for speeding in Stafford. Just before 6:30 a.m., he was stopped for speeding in Bass River, where he died.
During the stop in Bass River, Wetzell is heard requesting police assistance after Gordon exited his vehicle twice.
In the footage, Wetzell allows Gordon to sit in the back of the patrol car while they wait for a tow truck.
Gordon is seen then trying to get into the driver’s seat of the police car. Wetzel uses pepper spray on him and then the video appears to show the two men wrestling.
New Jersey's Attorney General's Office say the investigation is ongoing. Those who knew Gordon from where he studied at Dutchess Community College tell News 12 he was very respectful and was never angry or violent.
“There was no indication he was under arrest. He had no weapon. You had already frisked him prior to him getting in the back of the car, so you have been with this person almost 40 minutes,” says Gordon's family attorney William Wagstaff.
His family says they've been begging for answers and want to know what happened after Gordon was shot.
A GoFundMe page has been created to help pay for his body to be transported to Jamaica, which is his birthplace and home to his family.
VIDEO: New Jersey State Police shooting involved Maurice Gordon