VIDEO: Essex County Prosecutor’s Release Full Video in Union County Police-Involved Shooting – TAPinto.net
NEWARK, NJ – Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens, II, has released the full video in the Michael Bates police-involved shooting in light of the fact that an incomplete video has been released.
According to authorities, in December 2018, Bates, 37, of Orange, was shot by an Elizabeth Police Officer responding to a domestic dispute. Bates was charged with making terroristic threats and creating a false public alarm and was taken to University Hospital in Newark where he was treated for non-life threatening injuries.
Authorities said in accordance with the long-established Independent Prosecutor Directive, the Attorney General reassigned the investigation related to Bates and to the Elizabeth police officers’ use of force from the Union County Prosecutor’s Office (UCPO), which was the initial responding agency, to the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office (ECPO), to avoid a possible conflict of interest, or appearance of one, as one of the responding Elizabeth police officers has a professional relationship with the UCPO.
The investigation by the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office Professional Standards Bureau is ongoing.
According to authorities, this week a news organization published an incomplete video that purports to show the shooting incident.
“This is not the full video. The video has been altered. In an effort to ensure the public is not misled, we felt compelled to release the full video to set the record straight,’’ said Acting Prosecutor Stephens.
“We understand and appreciate the public’s interest in these matters. However, improperly amended or edited information does not serve the cause of justice and may compromise the integrity of the investigation,’’ Acting Prosecutor Stephens added.
The full video can be viewed by clicking below.
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