Tensions continue to boil in Paterson over the fatal shooting by police of Najee Seabrooks, a violence interventionist, after a standoff on March 3. Community activists held a protest Thursday as the state attorney general’s office released footage from police body-worn cameras that showed the hours-long standoff between police and Seabrooks after a 911 call of someone in distress.
According to the attorney general’s office, two officers fired their guns after Seabrooks lunged at them with a knife. The body-cam footage shows him being treated at the scene before he was taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Community leaders are adamant that Seabrooks’ death could have been avoided. They are demanding a federal investigation, citing a history of misconduct by Paterson police. The attorney general’s office confirms the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability is investigating the shooting.
