07-11-2007, 02:39 PM
A suicidal Maplewood man who was brandishing a knife was fatally shot yesterday by police who say he charged at them.
A spokesman for the Essex County Prosecutor's Office said the man charged at police with a weapon when he was shot on Peachtree Road. Authorities yesterday declined to identify the man, the officers who discharged their weapons, the type of weapon he had or how many shots were fired.
But a relative identified the victim as Omar Perry, a 31-year old man who suffered from schizophrenia and had just been released from the Essex County Hospital Center in Cedar Grove last week.
Serina Perry, the man's sister, said she called for an ambulance shortly after 11:30 a.m. when her brother began cutting himself with a kitchen knife. She said she saw blood drops on the floor between the bedroom and bathroom and followed the trail to the front of the house.
"He was cutting his wrist, poking the knife at himself all over. He was laughing," Serina Perry said.
She said she called an ambulance because she wanted him returned to the hospital.
Omar Perry was standing in the middle of the street when police arrived and drew their guns, Serina Perry said.
"The police kept yelling, "put your weapon down, put your weapon down,'" the sister said. "He said, 'What are you going to do? Shoot me?'"
Then police fired three shots, said the sister, who did not see the officers discharge their weapons or what her brother was doing because she was on the side of the house with her head down crying.
"I just heard three of the most horrifying sounds of my life," she said. "I was in the middle of screaming and in so much shock. I couldn't even tell who shot him."
The family had moved from Newark to Maplewood less than a month ago, Serina Perry said.
"He was like a father to me," said Janice Perry, his niece. "My uncle was the most giving person. My uncle would not even hurt a fly."
Janice Perry, 19, said Omar was over 6 feet tall with a heavy set, stocky build. "Maybe they were intimidated by his size," she said.
When Janice Perry first arrived at the scene, she broke down in tears. She laid down on the ground across the street from the home and started screaming.
Mayela Haughton, a close family friend, said she contacted the hospital three times today to tell them Omar was relapsing. But they never returned her phone calls, she said.
"We were frustrated. He was just acting irrational," Haughton said.
Haughton said Omar has a 7-year-old son that does not live with him.
Janice Perry said her uncle had another episode not too long ago in Irvington, where he tried to slit his wrists. But when the cops came to the scene, they just used a tazer gun, she said.
"We called the hospital on many accounts saying he shouldn't be discharged," Janice Perry said. "They said 'where else is he going to go?'¤"
Janice Perry said Omar was on medication, but she thinks it wasn't strong enough. He had been diagnosed with schizophrenia about five years ago.
Maplewood police did not have immediate comment. All police shootings are investigated by a grand jury as a matter of routine.
A spokesman for the Essex County Prosecutor's Office said the man charged at police with a weapon when he was shot on Peachtree Road. Authorities yesterday declined to identify the man, the officers who discharged their weapons, the type of weapon he had or how many shots were fired.
But a relative identified the victim as Omar Perry, a 31-year old man who suffered from schizophrenia and had just been released from the Essex County Hospital Center in Cedar Grove last week.
Serina Perry, the man's sister, said she called for an ambulance shortly after 11:30 a.m. when her brother began cutting himself with a kitchen knife. She said she saw blood drops on the floor between the bedroom and bathroom and followed the trail to the front of the house.
"He was cutting his wrist, poking the knife at himself all over. He was laughing," Serina Perry said.
She said she called an ambulance because she wanted him returned to the hospital.
Omar Perry was standing in the middle of the street when police arrived and drew their guns, Serina Perry said.
"The police kept yelling, "put your weapon down, put your weapon down,'" the sister said. "He said, 'What are you going to do? Shoot me?'"
Then police fired three shots, said the sister, who did not see the officers discharge their weapons or what her brother was doing because she was on the side of the house with her head down crying.
"I just heard three of the most horrifying sounds of my life," she said. "I was in the middle of screaming and in so much shock. I couldn't even tell who shot him."
The family had moved from Newark to Maplewood less than a month ago, Serina Perry said.
"He was like a father to me," said Janice Perry, his niece. "My uncle was the most giving person. My uncle would not even hurt a fly."
Janice Perry, 19, said Omar was over 6 feet tall with a heavy set, stocky build. "Maybe they were intimidated by his size," she said.
When Janice Perry first arrived at the scene, she broke down in tears. She laid down on the ground across the street from the home and started screaming.
Mayela Haughton, a close family friend, said she contacted the hospital three times today to tell them Omar was relapsing. But they never returned her phone calls, she said.
"We were frustrated. He was just acting irrational," Haughton said.
Haughton said Omar has a 7-year-old son that does not live with him.
Janice Perry said her uncle had another episode not too long ago in Irvington, where he tried to slit his wrists. But when the cops came to the scene, they just used a tazer gun, she said.
"We called the hospital on many accounts saying he shouldn't be discharged," Janice Perry said. "They said 'where else is he going to go?'¤"
Janice Perry said Omar was on medication, but she thinks it wasn't strong enough. He had been diagnosed with schizophrenia about five years ago.
Maplewood police did not have immediate comment. All police shootings are investigated by a grand jury as a matter of routine.
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