N.J. cop charged with shooting man in the back during June foot chase

A Paterson, N.J., police officer was charged Monday with shooting a man in the back as he ran away, officials said.

Officer Jerry Moravek was slapped with aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury in connection with the shooting last June. The man was left with a spinal wound making him unable to walk, according to the New Jersey attorney general. Moravek was also charged with official misconduct.

Officials released body-camera footage last summer showing him chasing Khalif Cooper, 28. Moravek, 40, is heard on the tape telling Cooper to drop a gun before opening fire .

Cooper hasn’t been charged with a crime. A gun wasn’t found with or near the man after he was shot, says the AG’s office, which didn’t identify Cooper by name.

“The body-worn camera footage does not depict the victim brandishing any firearm or pointing a firearm at the defendant, other officers or any member of the public,” the office stated.

A firearm found on the block where the shooting occurred did not match the man’s DNA or fingerprints, according to the AG’s office.

The victim told police he didn’t have a weapon and ran away because was scared, according to Monday’s announcement.

“We have determined that the use of deadly force was not justified,” New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said in a statement. “A young man’s life will never be the same because of the unnecessary action by this officer, which contradicted his police training and his oath to protect and preserve life.”

Moravek faces up to 10 years in state prison on each count.