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Two tactical officers are standing on chairs and a third on a table on a neighboring balcony when Mohamed Bounaouar, 42, of Las Vegas emerges from inside a townhouse at the Cedar Court complex shortly before 8:30 a.m. on Feb. 4, 2023, police bodycam images released by state authorities on Jan. 12 show.
Bounaouar's raised left hand grips a large knife. His mouth and other parts of his body are bloodied. He shouts several words in seemingly random order.
Then four shots are fired.
Bounaouar staggers to his feet, still clutching the knife. One of the officers above him deploys a Taser, putting him down for good.
New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin released the five police bodycam videos and one recorded by the Taser of the harrowing incident on Friday. New Jersey law and his office's guidelines require an investigation, no matter the circumstances, because the death occurred during an encounter with police.
Residents of the condominium complex on John Street had called police that morning and said a knife-wielding man was "acting in a threatening manner," Platkin said.
Officers and detectives, along with firefighters and members of the Fort Lee Emergency Services Unit, converged on the complex.
Police quickly got a few residents out of the townhouse. A teen girl was trapped on the third floor, however.
Additional police, as well as firefighters, continued to flock to the scene over the next couple of hours. Officers tried to negotiate with Bounaouar, who tossed various items down the stairs at them.
They eventually devise a plan to free the teen.
Three officers positioned themselves on the adjoining balcony. Two stood on chairs, the third on a table. The one in the middle had a Taser. His colleagues on either side pointed high-powered rifles.
A bucket truck was then bought in so firefighters and police could try to pluck the teen from a third-floor window.
Suddenly, a naked, agitated Bounaouar emerged from the unit onto the terrace waving a large knife in his left hand.
He shouted "Right here! The antenna! Kill! Shoot!" and other various random words at the officers on the adjoining balcony above him.
The middle officer deployed the Taser, but Bounaouar kept advancing.
The other officers then fired their weapons.
Officers posted downstairs heard the shots and came running.
The condo looked as if a hurricane had hit it. Tables and chairs were knocked over, windows were busted, blinds were in a ragged tangle. The floor was covered in broken glass, dishes and other debris.
The oven had been unplugged and was pushed into the middle of the floor. Cabinet doors were off their hinges.
The officers found Bounaouar wounded and on his back, the knife still tight in his hand.
They ordered him to drop it, but Bounaouar got to his feet and began moving toward them.
A second blast from the Taser put him down for good.
Bounaouar was pronounced dead at the scene 10:39 a.m., Platkin said.
Police recovered the knife.
An officer reportedly was wounded by a ricocheting bullet. Four others were taken to a local hospital for evaluation.
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TO VIEW THE VIDEOS YOURSELF: Fort Lee - Bounaouar (NJAG's Office)
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Platkin's Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA) investigates all deaths that occur in New Jersey “during an encounter with a law enforcement officer acting in the officer’s official capacity or while the decedent is in custody," no matter what the circumstances are.
His investigators must follow guidelines that guarantee the review is done “in a full, impartial and transparent manner," removing politics or personal agendas.
Once the investigation is complete, the results are presented to a grand jury.
The grand jury reviews a host of evidence -- including witness interviews, body and dashcam video, and forensic and autopsy results -- to determine whether or not there was cause to suspect any wrongdoing on the part of law enforcement.
The video released on Friday was first shared with Bounaouar's next of kin before it was shared with the public, Platkin said.
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