In early December 2013, the life of 32-year-old Dixon Rodriguez, a Hispanic male, came to a tragic end on a Tuesday afternoon just steps from his Hall Avenue home in Perth Amboy, New Jersey. His mother had called 911 for assistance, a measure she had taken in the past when her son, who had schizophrenia, was off his medication and needed to see a doctor. On this day, she reported he was acting violently. Two police officers were dispatched to the residence and encountered Rodriguez outside.
According to the Acting Middlesex County Prosecutor, the situation escalated when Rodriguez, while speaking with the officers, suddenly raised his arm, wielding what was described as a chef's knife with a five-inch blade. He then allegedly struck a female officer in the head and tackled her to the ground. In response, both officers fired their weapons, and Rodriguez was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after.
The prosecutor's office, which conducted an investigation as is standard in police-involved shootings, later retrieved the knife.
The family of Dixon Rodriguez vehemently disputed the official account of what transpired. They insisted that he did not have a weapon, and his brother publicly questioned the police narrative. Neighbors described Rodriguez as a gentle and passive man who would often linger on the sidewalk, keeping his hands in his pockets while asking for money or cigarettes. The family's belief that Rodriguez was unarmed led them to file a lawsuit, claiming that the police had planted the knife on his body after the shooting.
Surveillance video from a nearby business captured the incident, though its distance and grainy quality made it a contentious piece of evidence. Over a year after the shooting, the footage was publicly released following a lawsuit filed by an attorney. The video shows a physical altercation between Rodriguez and one of the officers before the fatal shots were fired. While it shows a lunging motion, it is not clear enough to definitively prove whether or not he was holding a knife. Ultimately, the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office ruled that the police were justified in their use of deadly force, and no charges were filed against the officers involved.
