Carl Dorsey killed by Newark, N.J. police on New Years Day

Newark police fatally shot 39‑year‑old Carl Dorsey of South Orange minutes into the new year, authorities said.

Carl Dorsey killed by Newark, NJ police

Newark police responded to Woodland Avenue and South 11th Street at 12:03 a.m. However, authorities have not said what officers were responding to.

The attorney general’s office, which is investigating the shooting, identified the police officer involved as Detective Rod Simpkins.

Simpkins has been a member of the department for 18 years, according to state pension records.

Authorities have provided few details on the fatal shooting. Authorities have not indicated whether Dorsey was armed or posed any threat that would justify the shooting.

Additionally, no body camera footage is available of the fatal encounter, although most police officers in Newark wear body cameras.

There is, however, non-police video footage of the shooting, the New Jersey General Attorney’s office said. That video is being investigated and is not yet being released, authorities said.

Details about the shooting

Court documents obtained by NJ Advance Media reveal some detail about the circumstances around the shooting.

Records show that a group gathered near the intersection where police shot Carl Dorsey tried to flee when officers arrived.

The criminal complaint for a man arrested during the same incident does not mention the shooting, leaving Dorsey’s actions and the circumstances surrounding the gunfire unclear.

Witnesses at a vigil and protest for Dorsey said he was not armed when he was shot.

“He didn’t even stand a chance,” Sharif Amenhotep told NJ.com.

The leader of a local advocacy group believes there won’t be any justice for the police killing because of the color of Dorsey’s skin.

“Other people are gonna say ‘Well, we’re going to make an impartial investigation,’” Lawrence Hamm, Chairman of the People’s Organization for Progress, told NJ.com. “Y’know what the end of that impartial investigation is gonna be? No police are gonna go to jail because there are two systems of justice in this country: one system of justice for us and there’s another system of justice for the police.”

Two guns found at the scene

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka said officers recovered two guns at the scene and arrested one person.

But the New Jersey Attorney General’s most recent press release on the shooting makes no mention of recovered firearms or any arrests.

The shooting comes at a time when activists and city leaders are re-examining the relationship with the police department.

Baraka in the summer signed a local ordinance that reallocated $11 million from the public safety department to social services shortly after protesters marched in Newark against police brutality.

Information on the Carl Dorsey shooting

The attorney general’s office urges anyone with information or additional video to call 1‑844‑OPIA‑TIP.