One person was killed and three others including a young teen wounded in a wild New Jersey shootout that left victims sprawled in the street near a 13-year-old girl’s weekend birthday party.
The violence started around 6:30 p.m. Saturday in Paterson — as party-goers were about to sing, “Happy Birthday” in the birthday girl’s back yard, witnesses said.
Kids screamed and hit the deck as the automatic gunfire broke out near the intersection of East 29th Street and 10th Avenue, leaving people splayed in the street, according to ABC.
The kids reportedly first thought the gunshots were fireworks until they heard sirens, and bystanders were in a state of panic as first responders rendered aid to those in the line of fire.
“Just hearing it — iit was scary to witness, to hear,” the unidentified birthay girl told the outlet. “Especially on my birthday. Like, a time I’m trying to play with my friends, get together.”
She said a friend at the party witnessed the shooting first-hand.
“He was going to the bodega. He went running back, but he had seen two people come out of a car and then shoot, but it was like an automatic gun,” she said.
No details were given on the dead person or the wounded victims, except for authorities noting one of those hurt is a young teen.
Paterson city Councilman Luis Velez said the area is a “hotspot” for violence but claimed that steps have been taken to cut down on crime, including the installation of security cameras.
“Paterson Police is doing their job as I know, they’re doing a great job to reduce crime, but one again, we, the police, nobody, not even the news media, has a crystal ball to say this is going to happen now,” Velez told the outlet.
“Some people see corners getting built up, they see activities, and they’re afraid to come out and say something, but our police department is trained to keep it confidential and approach to bring the quality of life in this area.”
