NATIONAL BAR ASSOCIATION DEMANDS A FEDERAL INVESTIGATION INTO THE FATAL SHOOTING OF BARRY DELOATCH AND A FULL UNBIASED INVESTIGATION BY A SPECIAL PROSECUTOR IN THE FATAL SHOOTING OF JERAME REID WASHINGTON, DC — In the National Bar Associations (NBA) ongoing pursuit of transparency and accountability in law enforcement agencies across the country, the NBA highlights individuals in various states who have suffered from excessive use of force at the hands of police, and still have yet to receive a legal resolution or outcome. This week, the National Bar Association highlights Barry Deloatch of New Brunswick, New Jersey and Jerame Reid of Bridgeton, New Jersey, both died during the use of excessive force by police officers. BARRY DELOATCH: NEW BRUNSWICK, NEW JERSEY On September 22, 2011, forty-six year old, Barry Deloatch was killed by New Brunswick police officers, Brad Berdel and Daniel Mazan. According to news accounts, officers Berdel and Mazan stopped Deloatch and two other men for questioning. At some point, Deloatch fled and officer Berdel pursued him. Thereafter, a struggle ensued and officer Berdel fired a single shot which pierced Deloatch in his aorta. According to the New Brunswick police department, while Deloatch did not have a gun, he was attacking the police officers with a 2-foot-long boardstick, which was was found near Deloatch’s body. A grand jury cleared officers Berdel and Mazan of any criminal wrongdoing. According to Prosecutor Bruce Kaplan, the grand jury conducted a thorough, impartial and independent review. The prosecutors office reported that the grand jury heard from fifty-seven witnesses and viewed 280 exhibits over eleven weeks. Although some may disagree with the jurys finding, the review and decision by the panel of ordinary citizens will withstand the scrutiny of any potential review by any state or federal agency, stated Prosecutor Kaplan. The National Bar Association welcomes, and demands, such third party, unbiased review of this tragic shooting of Barry Deloatch. JERAME REID: BRIDGETON, NEW JERSEY On December 30, 2014, thirty-six year old, Jerame Reid was killed by Bridgeton police officers, Braheme Days and Roger Worley. Officer Days and Worley pulled a vehicle over during a traffic stop in which Reid was a passenger. Reid was shot and killed by police and very few details or explanations have been released by the police department or Bridgeton prosecutors office since the shooting. Officers Days and Worley are on paid administrative leave and Cumberland County prosecutors office is said to be conducting an investigation. According to Tahli Dawkin, a witness that alleges he saw the shooting when he was taking out his recycling, viewed Reid with nothing in his hands as was getting out of the car before police starting shooting. Authorities have not released details about what prompted police to stop the vehicle or the shooting death of Reid. The Bridgeton Police Department has released video of the dash cam of the shooting that shows police officers and Reid during the traffic stop. Although the police department has failed to release pertinent information about the shooting, reports reveal Reid served thirteen-years in prison for shooting at police when he was age fifteen. However, no one has explained why Reids juvenile criminal record is relevant in this case or elaborated on the circumstances of a handgun being “revealed. In an interview with ABC News 6 Philadelphia, Ben Mosley, who identified himself as a retired deputy county sheriff with police training, alleged that he saw the shooting from his bedroom window. They shot the boy... He was trying to get back in the car. I saw a disarmed man go down to the ground and get shot. Thats exactly what I saw, stated Mosley. MOVING FORWARD In the absence of any clear answers or explanation of Jerame Reids death in the last two weeks, the NBA demands that a special independent prosecutor review and investigate this Bridgeton shooting, and make an unbiased determination of whether deadly force was justified. Without an unbiased review of this tragic shooting of Barry Deloatch or an independent investigation by an authority other than the district attorney or Bridgeton police department, these cases are likely to be yet another example of Blacks across the country who are being denied equal treatment under the law, and their rights to due process. The NBA will continue to emphasize these examples of the miscarriage of justice until law enforcement agencies begin actively working with communities for peaceful dialogue, trust and respect of citizens rights. The National Bar is adamant about its desire for transformative justice. While we are sadden by the growing number of police brutality cases, we are promoting peace on every street corner and the world. The only way to foster systemic change is to organize, educate, and mobilize. We are imploring everyone to continue to fight against the injustice in New Jersey, and throughout the United States by banning together and fighting for: 1) appointment of independent prosecutors and investigators in police involved shooting; 2) enactment of local and state laws requiring monthly diversity and de-escalation of force training and stricter mental health testing; and 3) enactment of federal laws related to body and desk cameras, definition and training related to elevation and excessive force and making it a felony for a police officer to watch and not report a fellow police officer for engaging in police brutality, stated Pamela J. Meanes, President of the National Bar Association. # ABOUT THE NATIONAL BAR ASSOCIATION The National Bar Association was founded in 1925 and is the nations oldest and largest national network of predominantly African-American attorneys and judges. It represents the interests of approximately 60,000 lawyers, judges, law professors and law students.The NBA is organized around 23 substantive law sections, 9 divisions, 12 regions and 80 affiliate chapters throughout the United States and around the world. For more information nationalbar.org
Posted on: Wed, 21 Jan 2015 19:47:26 +0000
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