Dixon Rodriguez, 32, was shot and killed by two police officers in early December 2013 just steps from his Hall Avenue home in Perth Amboy, New Jersey. His mother had called 911 because Rodriguez, who had schizophrenia and a history of being off his medication, was reportedly acting violently. Officers encountered him outside and, according to the Acting Middlesex County Prosecutor, he suddenly raised an arm while holding a chef’s knife with a five-inch blade, struck a female officer in the head and tackled her. Both officers then fired; Rodriguez was pronounced dead at the scene and a knife was later recovered.

The family disputes the official account, insisting Rodriguez was unarmed and alleging the knife was planted. Neighbors described him as gentle and passive. Surveillance footage from a nearby business shows a physical altercation and a lunging motion but is grainy and inconclusive about whether he held a knife. The Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office concluded the officers were justified and filed no charges.