Mercer County Sheriff's Detective James Udijohn, one of three officers involved in the August shooting of Radazz Hearns, was named Officer of the Year
TRENTON - The Mercer County Sheriff's Officer who in August shot and wounded a Trenton teenager was named "Officer of the Year," authorities said Thursday.
Sheriff's Detective James Udijohn and Mercer County Sheriff Jack Kemler. (Courtesy Mercer County Sheriff's Office) Detective James Udijohn, a 9-year veteran sheriff's officer, was awarded the office's highest honor in a ceremony last week, coinciding with national Police Week festivities.
The award recognizes an officer who has exceeded expectations and has demonstrated a "distinct and positive pattern of service and professional achievement," the Sheriff's Office said.
"James Udijohn is a model Sheriff's Officer with an impeccable and exemplary record of public service," Mercer County Sheriff Jack Kemler said.
Udijohn was one of three officers involved in the Aug. 7 shooting of Radazz Hearns, the then 14-year-old who was shot seven times in the buttocks and legs by the officers as he fled.
Hearns was charged with aggravated assault, possession of a handgun and possession of a defaced firearm. His case was heard in juvenile court. It's proceedings and verdicts are not part of the public record, but sources told NJ Advance Media that Hearns pleaded guilty to possession of a defaced handgun.
Officers identified in shooting of Trenton teen
The three officers were in Trenton that night as part of the Targeted Integrated Defense Effort (TIDE) initiative, a State Police effort to bolster the number of police on the streets in the city.
The officers were in a vehicle responding to reports of gunfire when they saw Hearns and two other young men walking on Louise Lane, authorities have said. When the officers confronted them, Hearns fled and pulled a gun before the two officers opened fire, authorities have said.
Investigators found a .22-caliber handgun 12 hours after the shooting, authorities said. An emergency vehicle providing lighting during the investigation was parked over the gun and it was not found until the following morning when the vehicle was moved, authorities have said.
The shooting sparked public protests and community meetings before Hearns was criminally charged.
Udijohn previously has won awards for Meritorious Service, Gallantry, Exceptional Service, Chief's Commendations, and Unit Citations. The NJ State PBA has honored him for valor in 2015 and in the same year was named Officer of the Year by NY/NJ United States Marshal's Regional Fugitive Task Force, the Sheriff's Office said.
Other officers who received awards were:
- Michael Orlando and Matthew Sciabbarrasi -- Sheriff's Lifesaving Medal.
- Stephen Mellick -- Sheriff's Exceptional Duty Medal.
Sheriff's Letter of Recognition winners:
- Sheriff's Office Project Lifesaver Unit
- Tara Hendryx
- Vito Vacirca, David Smithson and K-9 Officer Maverick
- The Mercer County Sheriff's Office Honor Guard