Dancehall Entertainers Call For Support After Jamaican Student Maurice Gordon Is Killed By Cop In New Jersey

Jamaican chemistry student and Uber driver, Maurice Gordon, was killed by police during a traffic stop along a highway in New Jersey last month. Gordon, who was living in New York, was killed two days before the murder of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Dancehall artiste Spice shared a news report of the killing on Instagram, saying this is “why I’m in America protesting well here’s a Jamaican man that was unarmed and killed by Police in America.”  Ce’Cile wrote, “Well, let’s see how strong the Jamaican community is, or how much we care.”  

Veteran selector Tony Matterhorn asked, “Where are all the Jamaicans on this becuz this needs justice,” while Spragga Benz said “Enough is ENOUGH!!!!”

While driving along Garden State Parkway on May 23, 28-year-old Gordon had been pulled over by state police for speeding. In recently released audio and video recordings from the New Jersey state attorney general, the police officer could be seen instructing Gordon to move his vehicle from the fast lane onto the shoulder, and then offering to give Gordon a lift to his destination after he was informed that Gordon’s car was out of gas.

The situation escalated after the officer advised Gordon to sit in the backseat of his patrol car. According to the video recording, Gordon exited the patrol car and attempted to enter its driver’s seat, after which he was pepper-sprayed by the officer. Following a physical fight after Gordon’s second attempt to enter the driver’s seat of the patrol car, he was shot six times by the officer and then handcuffed.

Gordon had ran out of gas twice that morning and had been assisted by state troopers on both occasions. He was subsequently pulled over by police twice for speeding and killed during the second stop. His completed autopsy is still pending with the state medical examiner.

The incident is being investigated by the Attorney General’s Office of Public Integrity & Accountability (OPIA), and the officer who killed Gordon has since been placed on paid administrative leave. Following investigation by the OPIA, the case will be tried by a grand jury and criminal charges will be decided and filed.

Gordon’s mother, Racquel Barrett, told news outlet MSNBC that she thinks the police officer who killed her son needs to be charged and not paid while on administrative leave. Mrs. Barnett, who resides in London, said she and her family had been trying to obtain details on her son’s death from the New Jersey Police since the incident but was refused information.

Following the public release of the audio and video recordings of the incident between Gordon and the police officer, and its upload to YouTube, Gordon’s family’s lawyer told MSNBC that the family was not made aware of the release of these recordings. They were later informed by friends and family who saw the videos online.

Maurice Gordon migrated to USA from Spanish Town, Jamaica nine years ago to live with his father. His death occurred two days before the murder of George Floyd, whose death sparked prolonged protests worldwide against police brutality and racial prejudice against African Americans in the United States.