Jersey City’s mayor is defending his police department after officers shot and killed a man who officials say was experiencing a mental health crisis Sunday, saying they tried to de-escalate the situation before using deadly force.
But family members tell media they’re seeking answers, and that they only wanted help from mental health responders – not a violent encounter with police.
EMTs from the Jersey City Medical Center were at the home to provide emergency health care for Andrew Jerome Washington, city officials said at a press conference Monday morning. At around 2:20 p.m., Mayor Steven Fulop said, the medical workers called police for help because they did not feel safe going into the home.
Officers from the Jersey City Police Department responded to the scene and then requested backup from the department’s emergency service unit, which receives special training for encounters involving “people in emotional crisis,” according to Public Safety Director James Shea.
The mayor, who reviewed body camera footage of the incident, said police spent about an hour “engaging” with Washington, 52. But at about 3:30, Fulop said, officers thought he may harm himself or someone else and decided to enter the apartment. When they opened the door, he said, Washington ran at the officers with a knife.
One officer fired his gun, the state Attorney General’s Office said in a press release. Fulop said an officer also used a taser. He didn’t specify the exact order of events.
“Everything prior to that was in line with communications that was taught at the Jersey City Police Department and de-escalation training,” the mayor said. Fulop, a Democrat, is the only declared candidate in the 2025 governor’s race.
After the shooting, first responders took Washington to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly before 5 p.m.
The AG’s office is investigating the shooting, as required by law for all fatal encounters with police in New Jersey. Fulop said he…
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