A 29-year-old Paterson man was fatally shot Monday night in the 5th Ward, a section of the city that has not seen the same decrease in gun violence this year that has happened in the rest of Paterson, according to Councilman Luis Velez.
According to city officials, Monday's shooting became the fourth homicide in the 5th Ward in less than three months, raising the number of fatal shootings in that district in 2022 to five, higher than every other section of Paterson.
For all of 2021, the 5th Ward had two fatal shootings and three homicides, according to data compiled by Paterson Press from press releases issued by the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office.
Officials said that the victim, whose name has not been made public yet, was shot multiple times near the corner of Park Avenue and East 19th Street at about 9 p.m. and died early Tuesday morning at St. Joseph's University Medical Center.
The area is known for drug dealing, law enforcement sources said.
"The area is a hot spot," Velez said. "It's the same old issues, large groups congregating!'
On Tuesday morning, candles could be seen lit outside Julio's Grocery store with police markings nearby.