Paterson shooting leaves Garfield man dead, another wounded in first killing in 110 days

PATERSON — A 22-year-old Garfield man was shot and killed in an early morning shooting at a nightclub, ending a 110-day streak in the city without a killing, officials said Saturday.

The victim, Parker Sams, was found by police wounded in a parking lot outside D'Classico Restaurant and Lounge on Saturday at about 2 a.m. on Ellison Street, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Paterson Police Chief Troy Oswald said in a joint statement.

Sams was transported to St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center in Paterson where he died from his wounds, according to Valdes.

Another person was wounded at the scene, said two senior city officials briefed on the details of the shooting, who spoke on a condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

The prosecutor's office said the presence of other potential victims at the scene cannot be confirmed, and that the investigation is ongoing. Authorities haven't disclosed what prompted the shooting or identified the shooter.

The Passaic County Prosecutor's Office, which has barred municipal police departments from disclosing details of homicides, said more information will be released once it becomes available.

Later Saturday morning at 10:30 a.m., areas of the parking lot were still stained with blood and there was broken glass and spray-painted evidence markers about. A young man, 20, who claimed that the victim was his best friend, was sitting down quietly next to some blood-stained pavement.

"This is where he got hit," said the man, who asked not to be identified. "There was shooting all over the parking lot. They just hit him right here."

The man said he was in the club with the victim when a fight broke out inside and everybody left the building.

"We came outside," he said. "They started shooting."

The suspects then got into a car and left the scene, he said, pointing to an area in the parking lot where he said the car was.

Elvis Durham, an employee with the Paterson Parking Authority, who he said owns the parking lot, began his shift at 7 a.m. He said the lot closed around 9 p.m. and club patrons should not be using it.

Durham was cleaning up the shards of glass left on the asphalt as a result of the shooting. He said he was surprised to hear of a shooting in downtown Paterson.

"Music, entertainment, parties draw revenue," Durham said. "We need this in the downtown area but we don't need this type of media attention. We need good media attention in the city of Paterson."

When Paterson passed 90 days without a homicide, it was the longest lull in fatal violence in more than nine years, according to law enforcement officials.

The last homicide in the city was on Dec. 11, 2017. A 37-year-old city resident, Keyantay Deas, was shot and killed when he was confronted by two men wielding handguns on 12th Avenue.

Paterson also has seen a drop in the number of non-fatal shootings in recent months, according to statistics compiled by Paterson Press.

The Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office asks anyone with additional information about this incident to contact them at 1-877-370-PCPO or tips@passaiccountynj.org, or contact the Paterson Police Detective Bureau at 973-321-1120.

Reporter Keldy Ortiz contributed.

Email: Agnish@northjersey.com

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