Mercer County Sheriff's Officer James Udijohn, New Jersey State Police Detective Doug Muraglia shot 14-year-old Radazz Hearns in August, according to a document obtained by NJ.com
TRENTON - The two officers who shot a Trenton teen accused of pulling a gun in August have been identified as State Police Detective Doug Muraglia and Mercer County Sheriff's Officer James Udijohn in an investigative document obtained by NJ Advance Media.
The document details the actions of Muraglia and Udijohn when they stopped Radazz Hearns and two others on the night of Aug. 7 while the officers were responding to a reported shooting in Trenton's North Ward.
Hearns was shot seven times in the buttocks and legs by the officers as he fled. He has since been charged with aggravated assault, possession of a handgun and possession of a defaced firearm. Hearns' attorney has denied his client had a gun.
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Two law enforcement sources, who asked not to be identified because they are not authorized to discuss the investigation, confirmed Muraglia and Udijohn were the two officers who opened fire.
Muraglia, 32, has been a State Police trooper for eight years, and Udijohn, 36, has been a sheriff's officer for 14 years, according to public records.
The document obtained by NJ Advance Media lists State Police Trooper Blair Astbury as the third officer who was responding to the shooting with Muraglia and Udijohn. Astbury, a trooper for 17 years, remained with the two other teens while Muraglia and Udijohn chased Hearns, according to the document.
The state Office of the Attorney General has repeatedly declined requests to identify the officers who shot Hearns despite calls from the state chapter of American Civil Liberties Union and others to release the names.
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"We do not release the names of the officers in these cases unless an officer is charged," Peter Aseltine, spokesman for the Attorney General's office, said Thursday. "This policy is intended to protect the safety of the officers involved and preserve the integrity of our investigation."
Ernest Cerino, spokesman for the Mercer County Sheriff's Office, declined to comment Thursday and referred questions to the Office of the Attorney General.
Hearns, who is now 15, will be tried in juvenile court after authorities decided against seeking to have the case moved up to adult court. Hearns' attorney Samuel A. Anyan, Jr., did not return a call for comment Thursday.
Robert A. Ebberup and Stuart Alterman, the lawyers representing the two officers involved in the shooting, did not confirm their clients' names when contacted on Thursday, but reiterated that the shooting was justified.
"These officers should be given awards as opposed to anything else," said Alterman, who represents the sheriff's officer.
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"I think people should appreciate what these officers do every day, and what these officers did that night," said Ebberup, who represents the trooper. "There's no question that this man who was shot, was wrong."
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 shots fired 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.
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Local leaders called for more transparency regarding the ongoing investigation. The discovery of the gun was not announced until a week after the shooting.
As is routine in police shootings, the two officers were placed on administrative duties pending the outcome of the investigation, which authorities said Thursday is still ongoing.
Keith Brown may be reached at kbrown@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @KBrownTrenton. Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.