Family of alleged burglar killed by NJ cops says metal pipe was no weapon

MAURICE RIVER — The family of a 31-year-old resident of the Leesburg section of the township, who was shot and killed by State Police on Sunday, disagree with the state attorney general's statement that he was brandishing a metal pipe as a weapon when they responded to a report of a burglary.

Jimmy Testa's relatives said he was scrounging for scrap metal to pawn off for food money, according to a report on NJ.com.

Testa had just been paroled in the spring from Southern State Correctional Facility in Maurice River, where he had been serving a sentence for conspiracy to commit burglary.

In the report, Debbie Stevens, Testa's mother, called the cops "crooked" and "terrible," and asked, "Why did they have to use one bullet and kill him?"

Stevens wondered why troopers did not first use Tasers on her son. The responding officers did use pepper spray, according to the Attorney General's Office, but it failed to prevent the confrontation from turning violent.

Further details have not been released by the attorney general's office due to the ongoing investigation.

Patrick Lavery produces "New Jersey's First News" and is New Jersey 101.5's morning drive breaking news reporter. Follow him on Twitter @plavery1015 or email patrick.lavery@townsquaremedia.com.

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