Man fatally shot in Paterson's fifth homicide of the month, officials confirm

The city’s outbreak of October homicides claimed another victim early Thursday morning when a 47-year-old man was shot in Paterson’s 4th Ward, according to the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office.

Thursday’s victim, who officials did not identify, became the fifth person killed in Paterson this month and the city’s 14th homicide victim this year. In 2022, Paterson had two homicides in October and 22 total at this point of the year.

The surge in fatal shootings began Oct. 1, days after law enforcement officials announced a sharp reduction in violent crime in Paterson during the summer.

Thursday’s killing happened near the corner of Hamilton Avenue and Summer Street at about 1:16 a.m., the prosecutor's office said. That block had endured seven homicides in eight shootings in six months between October 2020 and March 2021 when a drug gang turf war broke out.

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But the corner of Hamilton and Summer had become extremely quiet during the past two years, a lull residents and officials attribute to construction of seven new Habitat for Humanity homes on properties that had been vacant lots and abandoned buildings.

In recent weeks, the open-air drug dealing that previously plagued that area has returned. Residents and community leaders say they believe the police crackdown along Broadway – one block to the south - has pushed the problem to Hamilton Avenue and other streets in the 4th Ward.

Check back for more on this developing story.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Paterson NJ homicide leaves man dead in fifth killing of month