Trenton Teenager Shot By Police Charged With Gun Possession, Assaulting Officers

The teenager shot by police officers during a chase in Trenton has been charged with gun possession and assaulting officers, authorities say. 14-year-old Radazz Hearns has been officially charged with aggravated assault on a police officer and weapons offenses, alleging he pointed a handgun at the officers before they shot him multiple times.

“The juvenile was in possession of a .22-caliber handgun that he pointed at the pursuing police officers,” according to a statement from the Attorney General’s office. “Law enforcement witnesses and a civilian eyewitness who were at the scene reported that the juvenile had the gun in his hand as he ran and that one of the officers yelled ‘gun’ before they fired.”

The teen, who is currently recovering from a gun shot wound to his legs and buttocks from the the Aug. 7 shooting, was charged with a single count each of aggravated assault, possession of a handgun and possession of a defaced firearm.

Authorities say Hearns had the gun when a State Police trooper and a Mercer County sheriff’s officer confronted him and two other males walking on Louise Lane near Calhoun Street shortly after a police received a report that gunfire was heard in the area, authorities said.

A .22-caliber gun was found in the area of the shooting 12 hours later. A fire truck that was providing lighting at the crime scene had parked on top of it, authorities said Tuesday.

“The gun was recovered at the scene, off to the right side of where the juvenile was running when he was shot by the two officers,” according to the Attorney General’s office.

Family and community members held a rally for Hearns claiming the teenager was unjustly shot while running from plain clothes officers who didn’t identify themselves. The Hearns family attorney, who said his client was unarmed, has not released a statement.