A local New Jersey newspaper has published the dash cam footage of police officers killing a passenger during a routine traffic stop, the latest haunting images to surface online as President Barack Obama and others push law enforcement to equip themselves with surveillance cameras in the wake of this summer's officer-involved shooting death of an unarmed teen in Ferguson, Missouri.

If it wasn't for an Open Public Records Act request by the South Jersey Times, the Bridgeton Police Department would not have released the short video. The footage shows officers shooting 36-year-old passenger Jerame Reid—who appeared to have his hands up.

"In absence of the OPRA request this video would not be released to the public out of respect for the family of Jerame Reid, basic human dignity, and to protect the constitutional rights of all those involved," Michael Gaimari, the agency's captain, said in a statement. He said the police department does not "consider the posting of any such video as compassionate or professional."

Meanwhile, Reid's death on December 30 has sparked protests in Bridgeton—a town 40 miles south of Philadelphia with a population of 25,000. The shooting comes amid a string of people being killed by cops, with many incidents making their way to YouTube in recent months. The latest video has become part of an energized public demanding more accountability in the wake of this summer's Ferguson shooting of unarmed 18-year-old Michael Brown. One solution has been to equip police vehicles and their officers with surveillance cameras. That reality has pushed body camera maker Taser's stock to record heights.

An attorney for Reid's family, Conrad Benedetto, said the video of the two-minute standoff "raises serious questions as to the legality and reasonableness of the officers' actions that night."

The cops, Braheme Days and Roger Worley, have been placed on leave while local prosecutors investigate.

The video shows the cops pulling over a Jaguar driven by a man the authorities said was 46-year-old Leroy Tutt. The police said he ran a stop sign.

"Get 'em out the car, Rog. We've got a gun in his glove compartment," Days is overheard saying on the footage.

Moments later, Days is heard saying: "I'm telling you, I'm telling you! Keep your fucking hands right there. Eh, eh, Jerame, you reach for something, you're going to be fucking dead." The officer then screams: "He's reaching. He's reaching."

The victim seemingly tries to get out of the passenger's side. The door opens. It looks like Reid's hands are up. He is met by gunfire from both officers.

Local media pointed out that it was not the first time that Days has had a run in with Reid. The South Jersey Times reported that Reid had spent 13 years in prison "for shooting at three New Jersey State Police troopers when he was a teenager. Reid was also arrested this summer on charges of obstruction, resisting arrest, possession of narcotics, and failure to appear in Millville Municipal Court. Authorities said Days was one of the arresting officers at the time."

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