AG releases video of knife-wielding Old Bridge man shot dead by police

From the bottom of a flight of stairs, an Old Bridge police officer repeatedly asked a 26-year-old Laurence Harbor man to drop the knife he was holding.

But he refused to comply before rushing down the stairs with the knife pointed toward the officer who fired his service weapon, hitting Luke Mendez in the chest before Mendez later died at the hospital.

The firing officer was previously identified as Christopher Hammel, and on Tuesday the New Jersey Attorney General's Office released seven minutes of footage from Hammel's body-worn camera and audio from the 911 call in the April 24 shooting.

A preliminary investigation indicates police received a 911 call about a dispute around 3:09 p.m. at a home on Woodland Avenue in Old Bridge’s Laurence Harbor section.

The audio of the 911 call, much of which was redacted, indicates a woman is telling police she wants someone out of the house for being disrespectful. The woman tells the dispatcher he's 25 years old and in his room. The dispatcher asks the woman to stay away from him until an officer arrives.

The body-worn camera video shows an officer pulling up to a home where a woman lets him in and explains Mendez, who is upstairs, is being disrespectful.

Before meeting with Mendez, Hammel walks into the living room where a person is on a couch covered with a blanket who tells the officer that the woman who let the officer in is invading Mendez' privacy by putting cameras throughout the home, including the kitchen, without telling everyone.

"She calls you guys for every little thing. It's embarrassing. It's the third time you're here," the person on the couch said.

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From the bottom of the staircase, Hammel announces his presence, greets Mendez as "buddy" and asks if they can talk.

"Yeah, what's up" Mendez responds.

"Can I come up and talk to you, so we have privacy?" Hammel said.

But Mendez asks that Hammel remain at the bottom of the stairs. Hammel in turn asks Mendez why he has a knife in his hand, and Mendez responds by saying he doesn't want the officer to come close.

"You've got to put the knife down," Hammel said before drawing his gun and pointing it at Mendez and repeatedly saying relax and ordering Mendex to put the knife down and get on the floor. Hammel continues to instruct Mendez to put the knife down so they can talk, but Mendez does not comply.

Hammel, who alerted headquarters about "one at gunpoint, knife in hand", continues talking to Mendez, asking why he is upset.

"You want privacy. You are entitled to your privacy. I explained that to them," said Hammel, who continued to have his gun pointed at Mendez. "There are other ways around this."

Although Hammel continually reassured Mendez he was not in trouble and that he wanted to help him, Mendez suddenly rushed down the stairs with the knife in his hand, as Hammel yelled "Luke, Luke, Luke" before firing at Mendez who collapsed on a landing, about three steps away from the officer.

Police ordered Mendez to drop the knife and roll onto his stomach and announced shots fired, before removing the knife and starting to handcuff Mendez before pulling him down the stairs, turning him over and calling medics to the scene as a pool of blood is visible on Mendez' shirt.

Mendez was taken to Old Bridge Medical Center where he was pronounced dead at 4:47 p.m., the Attorney General's Office said.

The fatal shooting is under investigation by the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability. The recordings were released under policies established by the Attorney General’s Office in 2019 to promote the fair, impartial, and transparent investigation of fatal police encounters.

Investigators previously met with the Mendez's family to review the recordings before they were publicly released.

The investigation is continuing, and no further information is being released at this time.

In New Jersey the state Attorney General's Office conducts investigations into all deaths that occur during an encounter with law enforcement acting in the officer's official capacity or while a person is in custody. When the investigation is completed, the case will be presented to a grand jury to decide whether criminal charges will be filed.

Email: srussell@gannettnj.com

Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for MyCentralJersey.com covering crime, courts and other mayhem. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: NJ attorney general releases video of Old Bridge man shot by police