Family of man slain by Vineland cop seeks answers
The family of a Vineland, N.J., man who was fatally shot by police last month has hired a Philadelphia lawyer to conduct its own investigation of the incident.
The family of a Vineland, N.J., man who was fatally shot by police last month has hired a Philadelphia lawyer to conduct its own investigation of the incident.
Richard Bard Jr.'s family said Thursday in a statement released by Conrad J. Benedetto's firm that the shooting was "just wrong."
"We just want answers why this happened," said Dana German-Bunton, Bard's mother. "There are too many unanswered questions."
Authorities said Bard, 31, and John Bain, 31, also of Vineland, robbed a man near Seventh and Cherry Streets in Vineland around 1 a.m. April 17. Police arrived and chased Bard and Bain on foot, the Cumberland County Prosecutor's Office said.
Bard fired at the officers during the pursuit, and one officer returned fire, the Prosecutor's Office said.
Bard was pronounced dead at Inspira Medical Center Vineland. The officer, who has not been identified, was placed on routine administrative leave.
Bain escaped but was arrested April 19. Authorities said Bain repeatedly struck the robbery victim in the head with a handgun.
Bain was charged with robbery and unlawful possession of a weapon and held on $200,000 bail.
Benedetto said in Thursday's statement that Bard's family had requested privacy to grieve.
"We will do our utmost to conduct a thorough and fair investigation to get the Bard family answers that they deserve," Benedetto said.
The county Prosecutor's Office is investigating the shooting to determine whether the officers' use of force was justified, as is standard procedure in police-involved deaths in New Jersey. The office declined to comment, citing the pending inquiry.
The Prosecutor's Office is also investigating the case of another Vineland man, Phillip White, 32, who died after he was arrested in Vineland on March 31, 2015. White's family said this week that they have yet to receive autopsy or toxicology reports from the Prosecutor's Office, leaving White's official cause of death unknown more than a year later.
White's encounter with police began when officers responded to a 911 call of a man screaming on the 100 block of Grape Street. Videos of parts of the encounter from bystanders showed police releasing a dog onto White, who lay on the ground as an officer knelt over him. Authorities said White had tried to grab the officer's holstered weapon.
Police said they called for medical assistance after noticing White was having "respiratory distress." He was transported to Inspira, where he was pronounced dead.
Benedetto represented White's family early in that case. Woodbury lawyer Stanley King is now the family's attorney.
King and White's family have enlisted forensic pathologist Michael Baden to review White's case and offer his opinion. Baden performed an autopsy for Michael Brown's family after a police officer fatally shot Brown in Ferguson, Mo., in August 2014.
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