AG’s Office releases audio from fatal 2021 police-involved shooting in Hillsborough

The Attorney General’s Office released video footage and audio from the mobile video recorder (MVR) in a police vehicle related to a fatal police-involved shooting that occurred on Sept. 28, 2021, in Hillsborough.

The fatal shooting remains under investigation by the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA), according to updated information provided by the Attorney General’s Office on Jan. 24.

The recordings are being released in response to an OPRA request and pursuant to policies established by the Attorney General’s Office in 2019 that are designed to promote the fair, impartial, and transparent investigation of fatal police encounters.

Investigators previously met with the family of the decedent, Patrick Chin, 43, of Hillsborough, to review the video recording, according to the statement.

According to the preliminary investigation, uniformed officers of the Hillsborough Township Police Department responded to Chin’s residence on Piedmont Path at approximately 4:10 p.m. Sept. 28, 2021, in response to a request that the police check on the welfare of Chin.

When the officers arrived, they encountered Chin inside the home, holding an approximately three-foot long sword.

During the encounter, Officer George Kokinakous fired his service weapon, fatally wounding Chin. Officers and medical personnel rendered first aid to Chin, who was transported to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, where he was pronounced deceased at 5:28 p.m., according to the statement.

The four other officers of the Hillsborough Township Police Department who were at the scene at the time of the shooting have been identified as Officer Robert Feriello, Officer Thomas Gurba, Officer Kyle Edmonds and Officer Dylan Ely.

Feriello deployed OC spray at Chin during the incident, according to the statement.

The MVR audio recording is viewable at https://njoag.app.box.com/s/cy5f99tuzhdyxk4ftgizd1cg15g5o1dd. Discretion is advised.

There is no body camera footage or other video footage that captures the actual shooting, according to the statement.

The investigation is ongoing and no further information is being released at this time.