Haledon man found with gunshot wound to the head is Paterson's 9th homicide of 2023
PATERSON — The city’s murder caseload for 2023 rose to nine after investigators determined that a Haledon man found with a gunshot wound to the head on Sept. 3 was a homicide victim, police said.
Who was the victim?
The Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office identified the victim on Monday as 61-year-old Aktham Khalaf.
“The medical examiner has not formally determined the manner and cause of death,” said Senior Assistant Passaic County Prosecutor Jonathan Barrera. “Additionally, this investigation is still active and ongoing, and no additional details can be disclosed at this time.”
Gunshot wound to the head: Haledon man found dead Sept. 3 in Paterson
Multiple sources at the Paterson Police Department have confirmed that Khalaf’s death is being investigated as a homicide.
When was Khalaf's body found?
The Prosecutor’s Office said Khalaf’s body was found at 5:37 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 3, in a vehicle parked in the area of Ward Street and Route 19, which is near Paterson’s downtown area.
Authorities have not said whether the victim was in the driver’s seat of the vehicle, nor have they given any explanation of why he was in Paterson or whether the shooting happened where his body was found.
The spot where the body was found has not been a major crime area in Paterson during the past decade. But two people were fatally shot just a couple blocks from there in July, at Jersey and Oliver streets.
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Paterson violent crime statistics fall
Paterson has experienced a substantial drop in violent crime so far in 2023. At this point in 2022, the city had 21 homicides, putting Paterson on pace for a 57% reduction in killings this year.
In no other year in the past decade was Paterson’s homicide toll in single digits as of Sept. 19, according to data compiled by Paterson Press from law enforcement news releases.
Joe Malinconico is editor of Paterson Press. Email: editor@patersonpress.com
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Paterson NJ: 2023 homicide count rises to 9
