A Witness Says Thelonious McKnight was Facing Cops with his Hands Up when They Shot Him to Death. Paterson Police (NJ) Refuse to Release Details or Say Whether Public Video Exists

From [HERE] and [HERE] A Black man has been identified by family members as the victim in an officer-involved shooting that occurred in the city on Wednesday night.

Thelonious “RaRa” McKnight, 25, was killed when he was fatally shot by a Paterson police officer during an incident in the area of East Main Street and Hillman Street, family confirmed with outlet TapintoPaterson this week. Details about the incident remain scarce.

Police claim they were investigating an earlier incident in the area of East Main Street and Hillman Street shortly before 9 p.m. when they encountered McKnight, according to a statement from the Attorney General’s Office. During the encounter, one officer fired his gun and fatally wounded McKnight and police found a 9 mm handgun near his body, the office said. Parroting the police, the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office, which investigates all fatal police shootings, has also said a gun was found near McKnight’s body. But the state agency has not said whether the gun belonged to McKnight or if he fired the weapon the night he was killed.

Multiple law enforcement sources have said detectives in Paterson’s Street Crimes unit unsuccessfully tried to arrest McKnight for alleged gun possession earlier in the night. The sources said McKnight tried to flee when the detectives returned to the area where he usually hung out. The sources said a detective fatally shot McKnight when he pointed a gun at the cops.

However, an account from a witness staunchly refutes the AG and mayor's description of the shooting. Duke Snider was with Thelonious and other friends on the night of the shooting. The young men were standing near the entrance of the East Main Deli and Grocery on East Main Street around 9 p.m. “A cop car drove by and then came back and stopped,” Snider said. “One of the cops came up and went straight for Thelonius. Then two other cops joined him. They marched Thelonius toward the backyard and made him take his hands out of his pockets.” Snider said that he followed and that Thelonious was facing police with his hands up when they shot him. Thelonious was shot near East Main Street and Hillman Street. He was pronounced dead by a physician from St. Joseph’s University Medical Center at 9:11p.m. just minutes after the shooting. The Family of Thelonious McKnight Jr and The Community are demanding the NJ Attorney General Office to: 1) Release any and all body cam or video footage 2) Release police reports and use of force reports 3) Release name of officers involved

A pair of videos have circulated widely on social media, purportedly showing some of the incident.

A 2-minute clip from a security camera on East Main Street shows a man presumed to be McKnight standing on the sidewalk with two friends when a black vehicle pulls up next to the group, lights flashing. Three officers then exit the vehicle, approaching the men on the sidewalk. There is no sound, but the footage captures what appears to be a scuffle before officers draw their guns and pursue the men down an out-of-frame back alley.

A second video, presumed to be taken by one of the victim’s friends, shows officers apparently following McKnight down the Hillman Street alley. Several voices can be heard yelling, “don’t shoot” and “stop” while the witness behind the camera informs officers he is recording the incident.

McKnight’s family has organized a GoFundMe to help pay for funeral and related costs.