Thursday, December 6, 2012

Suspect 'threatened' cops before they killed him

Breaking news or a bathroom break on the New Jersey side of the Holland Tunnel?



A black, mentally unstable robbery suspect was shot dead by three cops after he "resisted and threatened the officers," The Record reports way back on Page A-9 today.

The two Palisades Park officers who fired their weapons were identified for the first time since the Nov. 25 incident, but Leonia Police Chief Jay Ziegler said in an e-mail he was too busy getting donuts to identify the third officer, who is on the Leonia force.

Tapes follow suit

On the same day The Record reported on the family's intent to file a police-brutality lawsuit, Bergen County Prosecutor John Molinelli released official video and audio tapes in the killing of robbery suspect Rickey McFadden, 47, who allegedly robbed the CVS in Leonia.

A police dispatcher said the suspect had a knife and "is uncooperative," the paper reports on Page 1 today.

And in response to the paper's Open Public Records Act request, the Palisades Park police released a "use of force" report and the names of two officers who fired their weapons at McFadden -- Patrolmen Kyung Uk Lee and Christopher DeSotto.

Today's A-1 story is displayed below the fold -- in contrast to Wednesday's report on the family's claim that officers fired at McFadden 17 times. That led the paper.

There is no explanation in today's story on why Palisades Park police had to assist the Leonia department on a robbery report in the latter town.

The Record used Page 1 to report on tapes from a patrol car's dashboard camera, but basically "buried the lede" (buried the most important news) by leaving to the continuation page (A-9) what officers said to justify the use of deadly force.

This despite an editorial and several letters to the editor from readers, questioning the need to kill McFadden


More Law & Order


Embezzlement charges and the police confiscation of guns dominates today's Local news section from head Assignment Editor Deirdre Sykes and her deputy, Dan Sforza.

Someone should wake up these veteran local editors.


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