Suspects Sought In Shootings That Killed 2, Injured 5: Passaic County Prosecutor

PATERSON, NJ — Officials say two people are dead, including a teenager, and five are injured after two separate shootings in Paterson on the evening of July 4 and in the early morning hours of July 5.

Police and the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office are seeking more information about the shootings, and say the investigations into both "are active and ongoing."

Authorities say a 17-year-old boy and a 26-year-old man were found shot Wednesday near the area of Jersey and Oliver Streets just before 2:40 p.m. First responders transported the victims, who have not been identified, to St. Joseph's University Medical Hospital where they were pronounced dead.

Two 19-year-old men and a 24-year-old man arrived at other local hospitals with gunshot wounds as a result of this shooting, said Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Paterson PD Officer-In-Charge Isa Abbassi.

Officials are investigating a separate shooting, where 19-year-old and 20-year-old men came to St. Joseph's after 11:30 p.m. on Tuesday with gunshot wounds.

"Based on the initial investigation, it was determined that the victims were struck by gunfire in the area of Essex Street and Madison Street in Paterson," officials said. "A potential crime scene was located in that area."

The victims are all Paterson residents, according to Valdes and Abbassi. Officials ask anyone with information on either shooting to contact the Prosecutor's Office tip line at 1-877-370-PCPO or by email at tips@passaiccountynj.org, or to contact the Paterson Police Detective Bureau at 973-321-1120.

The police department has been under the New Jersey Attorney General's supervision since last year, after a number of high-profile police killings of citizens and charges of corruption against Paterson officers. Officer-In-Charge Abbassi and AG Matthew J. Platkin both issued statements on the shootings on Wednesday, vowing to bring the perpetrators to justice and decrying a holiday weekend that also saw gun violence in communities including Philadelphia and Baltimore.

Abbassi said that Paterson has seen "a marked decrease" in murders and gun violence so far in 2023.

"This incident shows that no city in America is immune from the epidemic of gun violence gripping our nation," he said. The willingness of individuals to carry and use firearms on our streets is deeply troubling, and an issue we must address together."

"The men and women of the Paterson Police Department stand ready to do what is necessary to keep the city of Paterson safe, but we must ensure that we have a holistic approach to gun violence reduction that includes our legislators, courts, community and violence interventionists," Abbassi continued.

Platkin said Paterson Police would work to heal the community as well as continue working to prevent gun violence in New Jersey's third-largest city as officials look for suspects in the case.

"I am steadfast in my commitment to ending gun violence in our state," Platkin said. :The Office of the Attorney General - and the New Jersey Law Enforcement community more broadly - will not rest until our residents can live their lives free of the threat of gun violence erupting in our neighborhoods, in our houses of worship, in our schools, in our shopping centers, at our family celebrations, and everywhere else that we gather to go about our everyday lives. The people of this state - and our nation - deserve better and I will continue to use every resource and authority of my office to deliver for them."