Jury opts for manslaughter, not murder, in fatal 2021 Paterson shooting
PATERSON — A jury on Thursday convicted a 25-year-old South Hackensack man of reckless manslaughter but declined to find him guilty of murder in fatal shooting that happened in March 2021 in Paterson’s 1st Ward.
Who was convicted?
Naszhere Jones also was convicted of weapons crimes in a trial that started with jury selection on Aug. 7, said senior assistant Passaic County Prosecutor Evan Mongiardo in a news release.
The jury determined that Jones was the person who fired the fatal shots but did not find he acted with the intent to kill required for a murder conviction, officials said.
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Where was the shooting?
The shooting happened near the corner of Clinton and North 6th streets, authorities said.
Who was the victim?
The victim, 35-year-old Jaquan Harrison, himself had been convicted of manslaughter in a 2015 after-hours club killing and had been released from prison in that case six weeks before he was killed.
Harrsion in many ways epitomized the brutal cycle of incarceration, violence and death that afflicts too many young men in Paterson. In 2020, for example, two thirds of Paterson’s 27 homicide victims had previously spent time in prison. Six of them were killed less than a year after gaining their freedom.
State corrections records showed Harrison spent seven of the last 10 years of his life in prison.
Joe Malinconico is editor of Paterson Press. Email: editor@patersonpress.com
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Paterson NJ: Jury opts for manslaughter verdict in fatal shooting
