Paterson woman hit by gunfire a block from City Hall

PATERSON — For the second time in less than three weeks, Paterson’s downtown business district was the scene of a shooting on Sunday night.

A 43-year-old Paterson woman was injured by gunfire in Sunday’s crime, which happened just after 10 p.m. near the corner of Market and Prospect streets, a block from City Hall, police said.

Sunday’s gunfire erupted after stores in the area had closed, unlike the July 3 double shooting that took place at about 4 p.m. at Main and Broadway, while businesses were open.

“It is completely unacceptable and I am eager to hear how the Attorney General is going to address this,” said Mayor Andre Sayegh. The state Attorney General's Office took over control of the police department in March of 2023.

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Police department statistics show gun violence has gone down in the city so far this year.

There have been 38 shooting incidents in Paterson through July 14, compared to 43 during the same time in 2023, the police department said. The number of shooting victims over that time has decreased from 63 last year to 49 in 2024, officials said.

“Any shooting incident that takes place within the city of Paterson is unfortunate and will be fully investigated by the Paterson Police Department to bring a suspect to justice,” said a statement issued by a police department spokesperson. “Shooting incidents and homicides remain at historic lows within the city and are continuing to decrease.

In both recent downtown shootings, law enforcement sources said female victims were struck by bullets apparently fired at someone else. In the July 3 shooting, the second victim — a 35-year-old Paterson man identified in court records by the initials “M.G.” — was the gunman’s alleged target, according to police.

Daeron Jones, a 36-year-old Paterson man who has a previous shooting conviction, was arrested last week and charged with attempted murder in the July 3 incident.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Paterson woman hit by gunfire a block from City Hall