Newark – Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn A. Murray announced today that an Essex County Grand Jury voted on Feb. 27, not to indict five Newark police officers who were involved in the fatal shooting of Najier Salaam and George Richards-Meyers, both 18 of Newark.
Authorities said an intensive investigation revealed the following:
On September 30, 2016, five Newark police officers were on duty in the area of North 7th Street and Abington Avenue.
They responded to the area just after 6 AM after being dispatched on the report of an off-duty Newark officer who was following three suspects in a vehicle who were wanted in connection with at least two armed robberies that took place earlier that morning.
The off-duty officer followed the suspects onto North 7th Street while communicating the suspects’ precise direction of travel to Newark Dispatch.
Four officers, traveling in two separate unmarked vehicles, arrived on scene and turned onto North 7th Street.
As they did so, the suspects’ vehicle drove toward a marked Newark police vehicle that had its lights activated.
Upon seeing the marked unit with lights activated, the suspects immediately placed their vehicle in reverse and accelerated at a high rate of speed in the direction of the off-duty officer who had been following them.
The off-duty officer had just exited his vehicle as this happened and was almost struck by the suspects’ vehicle.
The suspects’ vehicle then continued accelerating in reverse and struck a marked Newark police vehicle that arrived on scene.
Just as the initial collision happened with the marked patrol unit, a fifth Newark Officer in a marked unit heard a popping sound that he said he thought was a gunshot.
As the vehicle collided with his marked unit and scraped alongside his vehicle, the fifth officer saw what he believed was a gun pointed at him in the hand of the front seat passenger.
This officer has stated that based on his observations and in fear for his life, he fired his weapon in the direction of the front seat passenger.
The suspect car continued to reverse at a high rate of speed, ultimately colliding with one of the unmarked vehicles carrying two Newark Officers.
As the suspects’ vehicle reversed at a high rate of speed and collided with this unmarked Newark unit, the Newark Officers heard gunfire. Believing that they were being fired upon by the suspects, Newark Officers fired their weapons in the direction of the suspects’ vehicle.
Ultimately, the driver and a passenger in the suspect vehicle were fatally wounded by gunfire. The third individual exited the vehicle and ran before being apprehended on foot by other Newark officers.
A black BB gun, which resembled a real handgun, was recovered near the location of the shooting and surveillance footage showed the suspects hiding the gun at this location prior to their interaction with the police.
No other firearm was recovered from the suspects or their vehicle following the shooting.
All of the relevant evidence in this case was presented to an Essex County Grand Jury.
The Grand Jury declined to indict all five officers.