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Atlanta Man Shot In Newark Park Known As Gay Hookup Spot

07/22/10-by Bridgette P. LaVictoire
Questions surround the Friday night shooting in Newark, NJ of DeFarra Gaymon. The married father of four was shot by a police officer at Branch Brook Park. The officer had tried to arrest Gaymon for lewd and lascivious behavior when Gaymon apparently fled and later lunged at the officer who had been trying to arrest him. Branch Brook Park is known for being a gay sex hookup spot as well as a spot for men to pick up male prostitutes.

Gaymon was in Newark for his 30th High School reunion when, apparently, he went to the park. According to the officer, he found Gaymon engaged in sexual activities, most likely with another man. It is not known why Gaymon, the CEO of Credit Union of Atlanta, was in the park to begin with, and the only word that we have for the events appears to be that of the undercover officer. The officer did show his badge repeatedly according to the report.

According to prosecutor Robert D. Laurino, the undercover officer fired in self defense. Mr. Laurino explained how, after chasing down and arresting a man, the officer in question realized he had lost his handcuffs in the pursuit and went back to get them. He left his partner behind. “The plainclothes officer was bending down to retrieve his handcuffs when he was approached by Mr. Gaymon, who was engaged in a sexual act at the time,” Laurino said. Apparently Gaymon propositioned the officer for sex, or at least said words that would have made it appear that way. The officer then pulled out his badge, identified himself as a police officer, and informed Gaymon that he was under arrest. Gaymon shoved the officer to the ground and ran. He ignored the officer’s demands to stop and threatened to kill the officer if he approached. The officer then cornered Gaymon near a pond and tried to handcuff him.

What happened next appears to be that Gaymon reached into his pocket and lunged at the officer. The officer fired once, striking Gaymon in the chest. Gaymon died in the hospital three hours later.

Plainclothes officers routinely patrol the park because it is a popular spot in the summer for sexual hookups. According to Gaymon’s family in Suwanee, GA“We know that the police killed an innocent man, with no history of or disposition towards violence.”

Unfortunately, if Gaymon was in the closet, it is more than likely that he was desperate to keep that information from going public, as his arrest might do. Thus, he may have acted in an irrational manner and attacked the police officer. Unfortunately, because the officer was not interviewed until Monday, it is going to be difficult to say if this is an accurate depiction of what occurred. According to the prosecutors, the officer was sedated and being treated for trauma related to the shooting. He has not been cleared for duty again.

An investigation will take place regarding what occurred. This is standard procedure anyway, but it will also be necessary given the potential problems caused by this shooting within both the LGBT and the African-American Communities.

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