By: Najla Alexander
NJ AG authorities announced that a state grand jury has voted not to file any criminal charges at the conclusion of its deliberations regarding the death of Thelonious McKnight, 25, of Paterson, New Jersey, during a fatal police-involved shooting on December 29, 2021, in Paterson.
According to officials, Mr. McKnight’s death was investigated by the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA) and presented to New Jersey residents serving on the grand jury in accordance with the Independent Prosecutor Directive of 2019.
In July 2021, officials said, OPIA issued standard operating procedures (SOPs) to ensure these grand jury presentations are conducted in a neutral, objective manner, with appropriate transparency regarding the process, consistent with the directive.
The investigation included interviews of witnesses, photographs, autopsy results from the medical examiner, and a review of video footage from several sources, including civilian and storefront cameras and a city closed-circuit TV camera, officials say.
Authorities say this evidence, including video of the incident, was presented to a state grand jury.
After hearing the testimony and evidence, the grand jury concluded its deliberations on December 11, 2023, and voted “no bill,” meaning jurors concluded no criminal charges should be filed against Paterson Police Detective Mohammed Bashir, who shot Mr. McKnight, officials stated.
According to the investigation, a Paterson police detective at police headquarters on December 29, 2021, observed suspicious activity shortly after 6 p.m. on a recorded CCTV surveillance camera stationed at East Main and Hillman streets.
Officials say a video from that camera showed two individuals, later identified as Mr. McKnight and another individual, with what appeared to be handguns.
Shortly thereafter, officials said, Detective Bashir and other detectives assigned to the Paterson Police Department’s Community Stabilization Unit left headquarters and apprehended the other individual seen on camera with a loaded handgun in the area of an address on Jefferson Street.
Mr. McKnight could not be immediately located, and the law enforcement officers returned to headquarters, officials stated.
According to officials, later, at approximately 8:40 p.m., the same detective who had earlier observed Mr. McKnight and the other individual with what appeared to be handguns observed Mr. McKnight standing in the area of an address on East Main Street.
Detectives arrived at that location in an unmarked police vehicle, got out, approached Mr. McKnight, and asked him to remove his hands from his sweatshirt pocket. Although Mr. McKnight initially complied, officials said he put his hands back into his pocket.
Officials say Detective Bashir performed a pat-down of Mr. McKnight’s sweatshirt, felt a gun, and called out “gun” to alert his colleagues and detectives, then drew their weapons.
Authorities say Mr. McKnight ignored multiple orders to show his hands. He walked away with his hands still in his pockets, up a flight of stairs, into an elevated alleyway, and up to a porch in the rear yard.
There, Mr. McKnight attempted to open the rear door to a residence but was unable to get inside, officials say.
According to the statements of the two detectives on scene, at this time, Mr. McKnight retrieved a firearm from his sweatshirt pocket and pointed it at a detective standing in the alleyway, three or four feet away.
Detective Bashir saw Mr. McKnight pull the trigger, but the weapon did not fire; later investigation revealed the firearm was equipped with a safety. After seeing the trigger being pulled by Mr. McKnight, Detective Bashir fired his 40-caliber service weapon.
Upon being fired upon, officials said, Mr. McKnight turned his attention to Detective Bashir, and the two subsequently exchanged gunfire. Mr. McKnight fell to the ground after being struck by multiple rounds fired by Detective Bashir.
Fourteen 40-caliber shell casings were recovered from the scene, which were fired by the detective. A 9mm handgun was recovered near Mr. McKnight, along with nine 9mm discharged shell casings.
Authorities say ballistics testing confirmed that these 9mm shell casings had been fired from the weapon recovered next to Mr. McKnight that detectives stated Mr. McKnight had fired at them.
Subsequent lab testing also determined that the sleeve cuffs of the hooded sweatshirt Mr. McKnight was wearing contained particles consistent with those found in gunshot residue, officials say.
According to officials, none of Mr. McKnight’s shots struck anyone.
Officials stated that police and emergency medical personnel rendered first aid to Mr. McKnight, who was pronounced deceased at the scene by a physician from St. Joseph’s University Medical Center at 9:11 p.m.
Video footage from civilian, storefront, and body-worn camera, as well as a city closed-circuit TV camera, were previously released, along with radio transmissions and 911 calls related to the shooting, officials said.
Those recordings are posted online, officials stated. Click here for the recordings.
A 2019 law, P.L. 2019, c. 1, officials said, requires the Attorney General’s Office to conduct investigations of a person’s death that occurs during an encounter with a law enforcement officer acting in the officer’s official capacity or while the decedent is in custody.
