Passaic County authorities are reporting that Mr. Shairo Gil, 24, of Clifton, was arrested and charged with Attempted Murder in an attempted stabbing of a store clerk in the city of Clifton, which has been classified as a bias attack.
According to police Gil entered Barrales Grocery, located on Main Avenue in Clifton, where he walked up to the store clerk, and without prompting, pulled out a knife and attempted to stab the employee in the chest.
According to police, the investigation revealed that Gil was purposely targeting any individual of Mexican descent and that he chose the victim because he believed her to be Mexican.
Passaic County officials said Gil was also charged with second-degree Aggravated Assault, third-degree Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose, fourth-degree Unlawful Possession of a Weapon and first-degree Bias Intimidation.
Gil is currently being held at Passaic County Jail, awaiting his initial appearance at Central Judicial Processing. The State has filed a motion for the defendant's pretrial detention that a Superior Court Judge will hear. The Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office asks anyone with additional information about this incident to contact us on our tips line at 1-877-370-PCPO or tips@passaiccountynj.org