A Paterson, N.J., police officer was charged Monday for allegedly shooting a man in the back as he ran away, officials said.
Officer Jerry Moravek was slapped with aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury in connection with the shooting last June. The man was left with a spinal wound making him unable to walk, according to the New Jersey attorney general. Moravek was also charged with official misconduct.
Officials released body-camera footage last summer showing him chasing Khalif Cooper, 28, according to NorthJersey.com. Moravek, 40, was heard telling Cooper to drop a gun before opening fire himself.
Cooper hasn’t been charged with a crime. A gun wasn’t found with or near the man after he was shot, says the AG’s office, which didn’t identify Cooper by name.
“The body-worn camera footage does not depict the victim brandishing any firearm or pointing a firearm at the defendant, other officers or any member of the public,” the office stated.
A firearm found on the block where the shooting occurred didn’t match the man’s DNA or fingerprints, according to the attorney’s general office. He allegedly told police he didn’t have a weapon and ran away because was scared. He suffered bullet fragments in his spine, according to Monday’s announcement.
“We have determined that the use of deadly force was not justified,” Attorney General Matthew Platkin said in a statement. “A young man’s life will never be the same because of the unnecessary action by this officer, which contradicted his police training and his oath to protect and preserve life.”
Moravek faces up to 10 years in state prison on each count.