The horrific shooting in Paterson injured at least seven people and prompted a sweeping police response that was broadcast in viral videos on social media.
The shooting occurred in a busy area of the city, local officials reported, and residents and pedestrians panicked when reports that multiple gunshots had been made poured in. Within moments, emergency crews and police arrived and filmed footage of heavily armed police officers and flashing police vehicles crowding around streets and closing in on crowds.
Officials have said seven people were injured as a result of the incident. The injuries are not reported in detail, but several of the victims have been taken to nearby hospitals. And though they dug deeper, authorities have not verified any fatal outcomes. The online videos showed jarring images of rippling havoc and disorder with police stationed.
Witnesses could have been running for safety while a police line had closed in around the crime scene, witnesses said. Ambulances run to help others who are wounded in other videos. Investigators have done an exhaustive investigation into the shooting; the motive for the assault is up for grabs, however.
This is beyond terrible. Not only were multiple people injured after a drive by shooting.
— zellie (@zellieimani) May 11, 2026
But Paterson police in NJ then assaulted someone trying to get to their injured brother. Punching in his face, pulling his hair so hard that he tears out his locs. pic.twitter.com/c2spfBG1Ns
Investigators are watching video from surveillance cameras located at various businesses nearby and surveilling witnesses to determine whether they can identify the perpetrators. Law enforcement officials don’t definitively say if anyone has been arrested or not. Residents of the area were told not to enter the crime scene since forensic teams scoured the crime scene late at night.
It has once again fueled fears of gun violence against urban communities in cities across the country. Social media users were taken aback by the videos, with some saying they were worried about the escalating frequency of such episodes once they went online.
More police had been deployed in the area to secure it and protect residents from violence and crime, members of the security forces said. Details of this investigation will probably appear later.
