PATERSON — The Attorney General’s Office today released footage from four surveillance cameras related to a fatal police-involved shooting on October 10, 2022 in Paterson. The decedent has been identified as Hui Zhang, 33, of Pensacola, Florida.

The fatal shooting is under investigation by the Attorney General’s Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA). The recordings are being released pursuant to policies established by the Attorney General’s Office in 2019 designed to promote the fair, impartial, and transparent investigation of fatal police encounters. Investigators previously contacted the family of Mr. Zhang to review the videos before release.

According to the preliminary investigation, at 4:12 p.m. on October 10, Mr. Zhang was involved in an automobile collision in the area of Straight and Van Houten Streets. Mr. Zhang ran from the scene. As he fled, he attempted to enter multiple other vehicles, armed with what appeared to be a handgun. Detective Victor Lora of the Paterson Police Department pursued Mr. Zhang on foot. Detective Lora was on duty in plain clothes; because of his assignment, he was not equipped with a body-worn camera. During an encounter on Van Houten Street with Mr. Zhang, Detective Lora fired his service weapon. Mr. Zhang was pronounced deceased at the scene at approximately 4:23 p.m. A 9mm P.A.K. Zoraki Semiautomatic Blank Pistol, an imitation firearm, was recovered near his body.

The four videos are available here: https://njoag.box.com/s/qvdwm2pzgazpxnjsy40cnz3nwa9h57nj

The investigation is ongoing and no further information is being released at this time.

This investigation is being conducted pursuant to a state law enacted in January 2019 (P.L. 2019, c.1), which requires that the Attorney General’s Office conduct all investigations of a person’s death that occurs during an encounter with a law enforcement officer acting in the officer’s official capacity or while the decedent is in custody. Separately, the Independent Prosecutor Directive, which was issued in December 2019, outlines a 10-step process for conducting these investigations. The Directive establishes clear procedures governing such investigations to ensure that they are conducted in a full, impartial and transparent manner. Under both state law and the Directive, when the entire investigation is complete, the case will be presented to a grand jury, typically consisting of 16 to 23 citizens, to make the ultimate decision regarding whether criminal charges will be filed.

The Independent Prosecutor Directive is posted on the Attorney General’s website at this link: https://www.njoag.gov/independent-prosecutor/

Further information about how fatal police encounters are investigated in New Jersey under the directive is found at this link: https://www.njoag.gov/independent-prosecutor/

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