By: Richard L. Smith
Passaic County authorities are coping with a wave of violence that has plagued the city of Paterson, with four separate shooting incidents occurring in less than 24 hours, leaving at least one dead and several others severely injured.
According to officials, the first incident unfolded on Sunday morning around 6:30 a.m. when Paterson police responded to reports of gunshots in the 300 block of Park Avenue.
Upon arrival, officers discovered over half a dozen shell casings scattered at the scene and an unidentified individual who had suffered multiple gunshot wounds.
CPR was administered in a frantic effort to save the victim's life before the wounded person was swiftly transported to St. Joseph's Hospital. The victim currently remains in critical condition, and the suspect involved in this incident is still at large.
In the second shooting, which transpired on the same day at approximately 12:28 p.m., authorities reported that a male and a female were targeted.
Paterson Police Officers rushed to the area of Highland Street and Park Place in response to a report of a shooting. At the scene, they located two victims.
The Passaic County Prosecutor's Office said the first victim, a 19-year-old male resident of Paterson, had sustained a gunshot wound and was transported to St. Joseph's University Medical Center, where he was tragically pronounced deceased.
The other victim, a 42-year-old female from Paterson, suffered a non-life-threatening gunshot wound and was also admitted to the hospital for medical treatment. The investigation into this case is ongoing.
SHOOTING IN PATERSON'S DOWNTOWN DISTRICT
The third shooting occurred around 9:25 p.m. when authorities received reports of gunfire near Van Houten Street and Cianci Street.
Responding officers found an unidentified female victim with a gunshot wound to her head.
While law enforcement reportedly located a vehicle linked to the shooting, the suspect remains at large.
The victim's condition is currently listed as critical, and detectives are actively investigating the motive behind this incident.
The fourth and final shooting of the night unfolded around 11:45 p.m. when a ShotSpotter device detected gunfire in the area of Market Street and Carroll Street. Police found approximately ten shell casings at the scene, but despite a thorough search of the area, no victims were located.
The suspect involved in this incident has not been apprehended.
The Passaic County Prosecutor's Office has become involved in investigating all these Paterson shootings as they continue to work diligently to identify and apprehend the individuals responsible for these acts of violence.
The spate of shootings has left the city on edge, and residents are demanding answers as the authorities work to curb this alarming trend.