The family of 37-year-old Rashaun Washington is demanding answers after police in Vineland, N.J., fatally shoot the father of two.
The shooting happened late Saturday morning when police responded to a report of a shirtless man “acting suspiciously” on the front porch of a home. Although it’s not clear what exchange police and Washington had, the ordeal ended with officers firing three times, according to witnesses, killing Washington.
“They can find no other way of handling the situation other than to kill him?” asked Andaiye Al-Uqdah, an attorney for the Washington family. “There’s no reason this man should be taken away from his family. It’s just disgusting.”
The incident was caught on Facebook Live and shows officers with guns drawn along with a police dog on scene. The graphic video, which made its rounds on social media, shows a standoff between Washington and the officers. One of the officers yelled “Bomb!” before three shots are heard. As Washington’s body lay on the ground bleeding, the police dog bit him and officers placed Washington in handcuffs.
The Vineland Police Department has not said whether or not Washington was armed. The officer who fired has not been identified and is on paid administrative leave as authorities investigate.
Witnesses said before officers shot Washington they told him to “calm down” and that Washington told officers he would not leave. Many are questioning why police didn’t use a Taser.
“They shouldn’t have killed him,” neighborhood resident and witness Jose Pagan said. “He didn’t have a weapon, no shirt. He showed the cops all he had was a bottle of water.”
Community activist and founder of the National Awareness Alliance, Walter L. Hudson, said the shooting is another unjustified killing of an African-American by law enforcement.
“This horrific shooting of Black and Brown people [by] overzealous police officers is a national issue,” he said. “All while white men who shoot up churches, schools, movie theaters and businesses are taken into custody, without a shot fired.”
The Cumberland County Prosecutor’s Office is handling the investigation. In a statement released Monday, county prosecutor Jennifer Webb-McRae said the investigation is ongoing and asked the public to share information on the case with her office anonymously.