Family of N.J. man shot by police calls for restraint, reverend says

The Rev. Forest "Buster" Soaries, Jr. said the family of the Franklin Township man shot and killed by police continue to call for restraint while the investigation continues.

FRANKLIN -- The family of a slain township man and the Rev. DeForest "Buster" Soaries, Jr. continue to applaud the transparency of law enforcement during an investigation into the shooting and continue to call for restraint, Soaries said Friday.

Diahlo Grant, 27, a father of six, was shot and killed by two uniformed township police officers after a foot chase from the township into New Brunswick on Saturday morning. Police say the officers exchanged gunfire with Grant.

Authorities haven't said who fired first, how many shots were fired or why police were chasing Grant. His family said he was shot six times, three in the head and three in the chest. His family also said he didn't own a gun.

Soaries said Friday during a conference call with reporters that the shooting is beginning to get national attention. He said he and the family have been contacted by "Black Lives Matter," a national activist movement that campaigns against violence towards black people, but neither he nor the family is interested in staging any kind of protest at the moment.

"The kind of restraint that exist today in Franklin in response to this type of incident as opposed to other parts of the country is largely due to the credibility of the people doing the investigation," said Soaries, the senior pastor at First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens in Somerset and a well-known civil rights activist.

"We are anxiously awaiting the discovery of facts. We are assisting in the process of having people come forward without fear if they do have any information. No protest is planned."

But that could change if negative information about Grant's background continues to be leaked to the media, Soaries cautioned.

Family says cops didn't need to shoot

In the initial news release from the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office on the day of the shooting, it was stated that Grant had warrants out on him for non-payment of child support in Middlesex County and for violation of probation on a drug charge in Somerset County.

James O'Neill, a spokesman for the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office, said the office will have no comment on any of the statements during Soaries' conference call.

Soaries, who met with Middlesex County prosecutor Andrew Carey on Friday, said he has asked authorities to stop negative information "cloaked in anonymity" from coming out.

"I urged them to understand the sensitivity of the matter when cases like these emerge," said Soaries. "The default assumption of the community is that any negative information that comes out from law enforcement is really designed to taint the image of reputation of the deceased such that it causes the public to question whether or not the person is really worthy of any consideration."

Soaries said such a "besmirching" of Grant's reputation, even if the information is true, may result in protests to defend Grant because "the young man can't speak for himself."

Carey and Franklin Township Chief of Police Lawrence Roberts assured Soaries that the leaks didn't come from them, said Soaries, who admitted some information on Grant's criminal background is readily available to the public.

Soaries said Carey didn't give him a timetable on when the investigation might be completed but he's no rushing Carey because "I think everyone is more concerned with it being thorough than being fast."

Carey, who has spoken to the Grant family, told Soaries that the police have interviewed "numerous" witnesses, said Soaries. He added that his office received a call from two people who said they each knew a witness who saw or heard something.

However, they failed to come forward when Soaries made himself available on Tuesday night at the church.

Soaries said he often reaches out to potential witnesses in situations like this because sometimes people are more comfortable talking with him first.

Soaries said he's going out of town this weekend but plans to meet with "Black Lives Matter" when he returns to update them on the investigation and explain his thoughts on public demonstrations and protest. He jokingly called himself a "retired protester," but said he'll come out of retirement if need be.

People stages protests, Soaries said, to bring attention to a matter or if there's a stall in the process. Neither is the case right now regarding the investigation into Grant's shooting, he said.

There was a candlelight vigil held Saturday night following the shooting but other than that the family and community have been patient as the investigation continues, Soaries said. He praised "Black Lives Matter" for not rushing to stage protests.

"Much to their credit, they are respecting the wishes of the family to withhold any demonstrations or protest," said Soaries.

Grant's funeral will be held on Monday, April 25, at the First Baptist Church at 11 a.m. although the family doesn't attend the church, said Soaries. He will say the eulogy. The day and time of the viewing haven't been finalized. The church the family attends is too small to accommodate the crowd expected at Grant's funeral, Soaries said.

A GoFundMe page for the family, which is struggling with funeral expenses, has been created. As of Friday at 5 p.m., $3,572 have been raised.

The Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office is asking anyone with information to call Detective Joseph Chesseri of the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office at 732-745-3300.

Susan Epstein contributed to this report.