Family and friends of a man gunned down by police in New Jersey Thursday morning are calling for a federal investigation into the fatal shooting.
Barry Deloatch, 47, was shot at 12:12 a.m. after two police officers chased him into an alley off Throop Avenue and Handy Street.
Bennie Deloatch claims his brother was unarmed when police pursued him.
Protesters gathered at City Hall Friday and chanted "Justice for Barry, justice for all," while New Brunswick Mayor James Cahill asked for patience as the Middlesex County prosecutors office investigates.
“It’s fully understandable that people want, demand answers to numerous question that arise. I think that we need to be patient to make sure the answers that are given are accurate,” said the mayor.
Prosecutors said Friday that the investigation so far shows that the two officers, who were on routine patrol, stopped to question Deloatch and two other men, and Deloatch fled.
The officers then followed him into an alley, "where a struggle ensued and resulted in the shooting," prosecutors said in a statement.
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He did not have a gun, but investigators are trying to determine whether he had another weapon.
While sources say Deloatch was armed with a stick and hitting the officers, Deloatch’s family says that's not true.
Police would not comment on the open investigation.
Prosecutors said the two officers have been placed on administrative leave pending the investigation. One has been an officer for two and a half years, the other for six years.
