Belleville New Jersey Cops Acted With Excessive Force in Firing 30 Shots at Dante Cespedes for Allegedly Lunging with Knifes
In what appears to be another insistence of excessive force and poorly trained police officers, three Belleville Township police officers gunned down a man with a knife. The police officers allege that the Cespedes a chef at a New York City hotel lunged at them with two knifes, when they entered the house to execute an arrest based on a municipal court complaint by his wife.
The question is why did they fire 30 rounds of bullets at Cespedes at close range, in which 24 rounds were pumped into his body? Why didn’t the three police officers attempt to disarm him and dislodge the weapon first with a night stick, by hitting his arms or hand with the night stick or mental flash light? Why didn’t they attempt to stop him by firing non-lethal shots to the legs or arms? Why did they find it necessary to pump 30 bullets into his body and in essence execute this man on the spot? Why didn’t they first attempt to retreat before they decided to use deadly force? Why didn’t they attempt to teaser him or mace him first? Why did they enter the house knowing he was armed without first ordering him to throw down the knifes and come out peacefully? Did the police even have the authority to enter the home based on a disorderly person’s complaint filed by his wife? This is of great significance because no one was at the home but Mr. Cespedes, and there appeared to be no emergency for them to enter the house. Further, if the wife had informed the police that her husband was intoxicated why were the officers not prepared to deal with an intoxicated individual, bring to the scene non-lethal disarming devices? It appears from the evidence presented thus far that they acted with deliberate indifference and excessive force.
There are many questions that must be honestly investigated and answered by the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office in this case before these three police officers should continue to hold a badge and firearm. Unfortunately, the evidence presented thus far shows that these three police officers were trigger happy and not competent to carry a deadly firearm.
And up-date to this blog on December 11, 2013 the Star Ledger published that the wife of the slain victim Dante Cespedes filed a wrongful death suit against the Belleville Police Department and police officers, Angelo Quinn, Charles Mollineaux, Matthew Dox and Jack Baumgartner. The lawsuit claims that Quinn and Molineaux each fired 14 times, while Dox fired twice.
It is amazing that 30 shots were fired at this distraught man, with no indictments of the cops.
Vincent J. Sanzone, Jr., Esq.
YourCivilRights@gmail.com
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