The state Attorney General's office said they took recorded statements from two of the teen's associates, one who was present during the Aug. 7 shooting and saw the teen thrown a gun as he ran from officers.
TRENTON — A state grand jury voted Monday not to file criminal charges against two police officers who shot a 14-year-old Trenton boy who authorities say pointed a gun at the officers in August, the Office of the Attorney General announced Monday.
In a statement, the Attorney General's office said their Shooting Response Team took recorded statements from two of the teen's associates who said the teen was present at a nearby shooting the officers were investigating.
One of the associates was present during the Aug. 7 confrontation with the officers and saw the teen thrown a gun as he ran from the lawmen.
Authorities have never identified the teen, but his family has identified him as Radazz Hearns, who is now 15 years old. Hearns was wounded - seven times, his family said - during the Aug. 7 confrontation on Louise Lane near Calhoun Street and has since been charged with aggravated assault and weapon possession charges.
Radazz Hearns The first associate, described as witness 1, said he saw Hearns "raise his right hand and throw something toward Calhoun Street while running away," the statement said.
The witness told investigators that what Hearns threw "must have been a glizzy," which means gun.
The statement said investigators asked the witness if Hearns threw a gun and the witness "responded affirmatively."
The witness said he was present with Hearns and another young male at the Prospect Village apartments shortly before running into police. The witness said they had a dispute with some people "other side of the gate," who fired three gun shots at them.
MORE: Teen shot by police will not face adult trial on assault, gun charges
The other associate, described as witness 2, was interviewed Oct. 8 and told investigators that Hearns was the shooter at Prospect Village. Hearns, the witness said, had retrieved a handgun prior to the Aug. 7 incident that was a "community gun," available to anyone who wanted to use it.
The witness gave a detailed description of the gun, which matched a gun recovered by investigators on Aug. 8, about 12 hours after the shooting.
The witness said Hearns later told him about the events of Aug. 7: that Hearns went to the Prospect Village neighborhood with two other young males to "shoot somebody," the Attorney General's statement said.
The witness said Hearns told him that he fired two or three shots during a dispute in Prospect Village before his gun jammed. The statement said the jammed condition of the recovered gun had not been reported publicly.
The witness said Hearns said he and his companions ran in the direction of Louise Lane and Calhoun Street, where they were met by police officers. Hearns told the witness he attempted to run away from the officers and while he ran he threw his gun, after being shot by police.
MORE: Officers identified in shooting of teen accused of pulling gun
The Attorney General's office has also not named the officers involved in the shooting. They were identified through an investigative document obtained by NJ Advance Media as New Jersey State Police Detective Doug Muraglia and Mercer County Sheriff's Officer James Udijohn.
State Police Trooper Blair Astbury was the third officer present at the shooting, but he did not fire his weapon.
The statement also described the authorities' interviews of the officers involved.
At about 10:20 p.m. on Aug. 7, the officers were responding to a report — from the Shot Spotter gunfire detection system Trenton police uses — that shots were fired in the 500 block of Prospect Village.
The three officers were traveling west on Calhoun Street toward Louise Lane in an unmarked patrol vehicle when they observed three males — the teen shot by police, a second juvenile male who later became witness 1 and a 19-year-old male.
The responding officers noticed that the first juvenile — identified as Hearns — who was wearing a white T-shirt and red shorts, had his right hand down the front of his pants, where it appeared that an object was hidden, while his left hand was pulling his waistband away from his body, the statement said.
While inside the vehicle, the police officers discussed the need to keep an eye on that individual.
The officers pulled over on Louise Lane and quickly exited the vehicle, shouting "Stop, police!" and "Let me see your hands!" the statement said.
Two of the males remained in place, while one - Hearns - began to run toward the rear of a Louise Lane residence with the officers running behind him. The officers continued to identify themselves and ordering him to stop, the statement said.
Both officers who fired — later identified as Udijohn and Muraglia - both described Hearns extending his right hand while holding a silver handgun that was pointed at them.
The Attorney General's investigation found that one officer - Udijohn - fired seven shots from his .40-caliber handgun and the second — Muraglia — fired eight shots from his 9mm handgun.
The Attorney General's office said Hearns was wounded by three shots in his legs and buttocks.
Hearns' attorney, Samual A. Anyan Jr., has denied his client had a gun.
"Theres an African proverb that says until the lions have their own historian, the story of the hunt will always glorify the hunter," Anyan said Monday.
He said there is a national debate about whether authorities should use grand juries in police-involved shootings due to their secretive nature. "What the community in Trenton has has been seeking is transparency, and the grand jury just does not provide that."
The Attorney General's statement said the grand jury was instructed as to potential criminal charges against each of the two officers and the legal elements to prove each crime, as well as the law of justification, particularly the use of force in defense of self and others.
The wounded teen declined to provide a statement to investigators on the Shooting Response Team about the police-involved shooting, the Attorney General's office statement said.
In a related development, a Mercer County sheriff's officer was charged late last month with illegally giving a newspaper three arrest photos of Hearns.
Christopher J. McKenna, 37, of Hamilton, is charged with wrongful access and disclosure of information, a third-degree crime.
The Attorney General's Office said McKenna on or around Aug. 21 used a restricted police database to get the arrest photos of the teen.
McKenna, a sheriff's officer since 2003, provided the photos to the newspaper, The Trentonian, which published them. Juvenile records are sealed and it is illegal to disclose them.
Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@kevintshea. Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.