Mother calls killing by Denville police officer intentional (NJ)

As investigators review video footage they hope will reveal why a Denville police officer shot a 21-year-old motorist five times, the dead man's mother called the officer a murderer and said she has hired an attorney.

Miles holds a photo of her son Ruben Martinez when he was a junior at Morris Knolls High School. Martinez now 21 and living in Texas, was shot and killed early Thusrdsay morning by a Denville police officer. "Last night, I kept visualizing five gunshots pounding into a young man, 140 pounds," Maureen Miles, the mother of Ruben W. Martinez, said Friday. She said Officer Richard Byrne intentionally killed the 2005 Morris Knolls High School graduate. "Why did he keep going? Was he trigger-happy? It makes no sense," said the mother, who lives in Rockaway Township.

The Morris County Prosecutor's Office has released few details about the circumstances of the 2:15 a.m. Thursday shooting on Franklin Road in Denville. Prosecutor Robert A. Bianchi said he expects to spend the weekend reviewing video recordings from patrol cars, radio transmissions and interviews with witnesses. Martinez, who lived in Laredo, Texas, was in town for his brother's high school graduation. Byrne, a 14-year veteran of the police force, tried to pull over Martinez' Mustang Bullitt on eastbound Route 46 at Franklin Road for an unspecified traffic violation. But Martinez didn't stop and drove around the block with Byrne and backup Officer Danny Fernandez in pursuit, police said. Martinez lost control of his car as he headed back toward Route 46, and it spun and skidded sideways.

What happened next is unclear. Byrne got out of his cruiser to approach Martinez, but Martinez backed up and took off, according to Bianchi.

1 posted on 06/28/2008 7:34:02 PM PDT by Coleus

That video will never see the light of day...

2 posted on 06/28/2008 7:38:00 PM PDT by darkwing104 (Lets get dangerous)

Reading the surface report it looks like the driver was testing the cop pretty heavily with a chase and maybe more.

Cop won.

Next!

3 posted on 06/28/2008 7:51:46 PM PDT by JoeSixPack1

Martinez now 21 and living in Texas, was shot and killed early Thusrdsay morning...

I don't think the "now living" part still holds true. Where are the editors?

4 posted on 06/28/2008 8:06:35 PM PDT by Inyo-Mono (If you don't want people to get your goat, don't tell them where it's tied.)

Mr. Martinez won what one always wins for 2d place in a gunfight.

5 posted on 06/28/2008 8:17:39 PM PDT by MindBender26 (Leftists stop arguing when they see your patriotism, your logic, your CAR-15 and your block of C4.)

After reading that, I’m thinking it was a “hold my Red Bull and watch this” moment. Stupid.

6 posted on 06/28/2008 8:19:58 PM PDT by IllumiNaughtyByNature (Senator McCain, what did GWB promise you back in 2000? And you believed him? BWAHAAAAA!)

Original local newspaper report had the perp dragging the cop when he approached the car. Also, don’t you love how the mother uses the guy’s 8th grade school picture to make him look so innocent and lovable? I’d love to see a current photo (I mean one without 5 holes in it).

7 posted on 06/29/2008 10:17:43 AM PDT by JewishRighter

Well, that’s certainly one side of the story. And it’ll be plenty good for all the inveterate cop-haters who will soon foul up this thread.

8 posted on 07/01/2008 11:04:43 AM PDT by LibWhacker

we’ll have to wait until they release the tape, there are always 2 sides to every story.

9 posted on 07/01/2008 11:28:57 AM PDT by Coleus (Abortion and Physician-assisted Murder (aka-Euthanasia), Don't Democrats just kill ya?)

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