Peter Aseltine, spokesman for the Attorney General's office, Wednesday said the office will not seek to have Radazz Hearns' case moved to adult court
TRENTON - The state Office of the Attorney General will not seek to try Radazz Hearns as an adult in the Aug. 7 police-involved shooting in Trenton that left the teen wounded.
Hearns, who was 14 at the time of the incident, was charged Aug. 17 with aggravated assault on a police officer and weapons offenses. Authorities allege he pointed a handgun at officers before they shot him multiple times.
"The Attorney General's Office has decided not to seek to have him waived to adult court," Peter Aseltine, spokesman for the Attorney General's Office said Wednesday. Aseltine did not comment further.
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Hearns is accused of having a .22-caliber 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. The police were responding to a report of gunfire in the area and Hearns ran while pointing the gun, authorities have said.
The attorney for Hearns, Samuel A. Anyan Jr., declined to comment Wednesday. Anyan has maintained the youth was unarmed when police fired. Hearns was shot seven times in the legs and buttocks.
Hearns, who is recovering at home, has since turned 15.
A .22-caliber gun was found in the area of the shooting 12 hours later. A Trenton emergency response vehicle that was providing lighting at the crime scene had parked on top of it, authorities have said.
The gun was found by a passing resident when the truck moved around 10 a.m. the following day, the Attorney General's Office has said.
The Attorney General's Office has not named the two officers involved in the shooting.
Hearns' juvenile arrest record was released by a Mercer County police department earlier this month, sparking anger among supporters and prompting a call by the state chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union for an investigation into the release of the information.
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The ACLU and other supporters delivered letters to the Attorney General's Office, the U.S. Attorney's Office, the State Police, Mercer County Prosecutor's Office, the Mercer County Sheriff's Office, the Trenton Police and the Hopewell Police Department.
Alexander Shalom, attorney for the NJ ACLU could not be immediately reached Wednesday, but earlier this week Shalom said his office had not been contacted by any of the law enforcement agencies about the letters.
Keith Brown may be reached at kbrown@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @KBrownTrenton. Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.