Residents Rally Outside of City Hall in Protest of Shooting Death of New Brunswick Man

Dozens of people gathered outside of New Brunswick city hall Thursday to protest the shooting death of resident Barry E. Deloatch, who was shot and killed by city police officers following a foot pursuit.

Barry E. Deloatch, 47, of New Brunswick was shot and killed in an alley off Throop Avenue, near the intersection of Handy Street, following a foot pursuit by two New Brunswick Police officers around 12:12 a.m.

Deloatch was pronounced dead at 12:37 a.m. Thursday morning at  Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital.

The Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office has not yet released the names of the two officers involved in the pursuit, whether Deloatch was armed, and where on his body he was shot.

On the steps of City Hall, friends and family members held up a t-shirt bearing Deloatch's name, along with the names of other people who they said were killed in incidents with city police in the past.

Amiyn Eads of New Brunswick said there was a divide between the police and city residents.

The fact that many officers are not from New Brunswick exacerbates the problem, he said.

Sarah Lee of New Brunswick agreed with Eads and said she believed that officers should be required to live in New Brunswick if they serve on the force there.

"(There is) no sense of connection between officers and the communities," Eads said.

City resident Anthony White said Deloatch was an "All-around good person."

He called the shooting "Disgusting."

White said Deloatch was a law-abiding citizen who was not involved with weapons or drugs - there was no reason for the shooting, he said. 

Residents peacefully gathered outside of City Hall, calling out loud for an end to violence and justice for the families of Deloatch and other deceased members of the city who died violently.

Maurice Fields of New Brunswick said all the people gathered together were a community of family and friends.

"I come from a good family, just like (Deloatch)," he said.

Surrounded by television cameras and reporters, Deloatch's two brothers Nate and Benny Deloatch, both of New Brunswick, said their brother was with God now, but they were going to use his death as a way to bring progress for the people still in the city. 

"We're going to set a right example," Benny Deloatch said.

Benny would not comment on the situation behind his brother's encounter with the officers.

"As far as I can see, he was in the wrong place at the wrong time," he said.

The Deloatch family does want to see justice for Barry, he said.

"If we don't do something about it, who is next?" Benny Deloatch said.

Holding a photo of his family, with Barry included, Nate Deloatch said violence is not a way to live.

"This is not what New Brunswick is all about. We're not about killing," he said. "My brother should still be alive right now."

A spokesman at the New Brunswick Police Department deferred comment to the Prosecutor's Office on Thursday afternoon.

City spokesman Bill Bray was not immediately available for comment early Thursday evening.

Anyone with information is asked to call Investigator Jeffrey Temple of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office at 732-745-3373.

New Brunswick Patch will continue to update this story as more information becomes available.