Prosecutor: Vineland cops justified in shooting man in standoff

VINELAND — Authorities say a police officer was justified in fatally shooting a man who was carrying garden shears wrapped in a T-shirt and claiming he had an explosive at a South Jersey home.

Cumberland County Prosecutor Jennifer Webb-McRae issued the finding after a review of the July 2018 shooting in Vineland. Her office determined it wasn't necessary to present the matter to a grand jury because no facts were in dispute.

Authorities released bodycam footage, which you can watch here. WARNING: Contains profanity and graphic violence.

Authorities have said Vineland Sgt. Brian Armstrong shot 37-year-old Rashaun Washington three times when Washington charged toward him. Washington had refused repeated demands to drop the item he paced in the driveway of the home and told officers they would have to shoot him.

Washington was taken to a hospital but died there a short time later.