A vigil for a Bergen-Lafayette man shot and killed by police on Sunday afternoon has been set for tonight at 6 p.m.
Organized by Mount Pisgah A.M.E. Church, the vigil is to take place in front of 256 Randolph Avenue, the home of the deceased man, Andrew Jerome Washington.
According to the police, Washington was shot as a team from the Emergency Service Unit attempted to reach him as he was holed up in his apartment, refusing to come out. Public Safety Director James Shea said that police knocked down his door fearing both for Washington’s safety and that of any person who might have been inside the apartment. Police say he came at them with a knife. They responded with a taser and a firearm. Washington died a short time later.
Police had been called to the scene by a team from Jersey City Medical Center.
“Appropriate professionals should have been brought in to help diffuse the situation before police escalated to the use of deadly force,” said Pamela Johnson, founder and Executive Director of the Anti-Violence Coalition of Hudson County, a member of the New Jersey Violence Intervention and Prevention Coalition. “Drew’s family called for help and help never came.”
Groups joining the vigil include the New Jersey Violence Intervention and Prevention Coalition, local advocates and community members.
Those needing more information are being asked to contact Jon Crane at 203-982-4575 or at joncrane@criticalpr.com.