Defarra Gaymon was a 48 year-old married father of four and CEO of the Credit Union of Atlanta. Last Friday night, he was shot and killed by a Newark police officer shortly after leaving his 30th high school reunion. Why?

Yesterday, the Essex County prosecutor finally relayed the officer's statement to the press. The 29 year-old officer was patrolling Branch Brook Park, a well-known gay pickup spot. Somehow, he lost a pair of handcuffs. He went back to look for them, and "Mr. Gaymon approached him while masturbating," the WSJ reports. The policeman says he pulled out his badge and told Gaymon he was under arrest—then, Gaymon "shoved the officer to the ground and ran, ignored the officer's demands to stop, and repeatedly threatened to kill the officer if he approached," according to the NYT. And as the cop was trying to handcuff him:

"Mr. Gaymon reached into his pocket and lunged at the officer in an attempt to disarm the officer," [the prosecutor] said. The officer, "fearing for his life," the prosecutor said, shot Mr. Gaymon once, and he died at the hospital three hours later.

Gaymon was the fifth person shot by Essex County police in the past month.

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