Activists Call For Investigation Into Police Involved Shooting In South Jersey

By Dan Wing

BRIDGETON, N.J. (CBS) -- Some South Jersey activist groups will hold a press conference later today, calling on the Cumberland County Prosecutor to turn over the investigation of a fatal police shooting in Bridgeton to the State Attorney General's office. This comes in response to dash cam footage from the police cruiser that was released on Tuesday.

It started as a simple traffic stop on the night of December 30th after police spotted a Blue Jaguar sedan roll through a stop sign.

The following transcript is from a dash cam video of the traffic stop released by police.

Officer Days: "Hey. Officer Days, Bridgeton Police. Reason why I'm pulling you over, you went right through that stop sign back there."

Driver: "Where at?"

Officer Days: "Right on South Pine Street."

The driver seemed cooperative, but things took a turn for the worse as Officer Days talked to the car's passenger, identified by police as 36-year old Jerame Reid, who previously spent nearly 13 years in state prison for shooting at three New Jersey State Police troopers when he was a teenager, and was known by Officer Days from an arrest over the summer.

Officer Days repeatedly told the car's passenger to show him his hands and don't move.

Officer Days: "Show me your hands. Show me your [expletive] hands! Show me your hands! Don't [expletive] move! Don't you [expletive] move! Don't [expletive] move. Don't you [expletive] move. Get 'em out the car, Rog. We got a gun in his glove compartment. Don't you [expletive] move."

Despite those warnings, things continued to escalate.

Officer Days: "Dude you gonna be [expletive] dead. I'm telling you! You reach for something, you going to be [expletive] dead. I'm telling you! I'm telling you! Keep your hands right there. Hey Jerome, you reach for something, you're going to be [expletive] dead!"

After the officer pulls what appears to be a gun from the vehicle, Reid can be seen pushing the car's door open just seconds later, leading officer Days to open fire even though Reid was unarmed, and had his hands in front of his chest.

Officer Days: "No you not. No you not. Don't [expletive] move! Don't you [expletive] move!"

Several gunshots were then fired by the officer.

Reid died from his gunshot wounds, and both officers have been placed on paid administrative leave while a "Use of Deadly Force" investigation continues.

Now groups like the National Awareness Alliance and the National Action Network are demanding that investigation be given to the State, as the Cumberland County Prosecutor has previously recused herself due to the fact that she has a personal relationship with the officer who pulled the trigger.

The groups will hold a joint press conference at the Cumberland County Prosecutor's Office at 1pm on Wednesday.