WMBCTV: Paterson NJ Residents Speak Out After Deadly Mother’s Day Weekend Shooting
- May 12
- 2 min read
Gun shell casings marked on pavement, shattered debris on sidewalks, emotional residents and a large police presence - tell tale signs of a devastating Mother’s Day tragedy… a mass shooting that left two people dead and 4 others injured. For neighbors who live along this Paterson block, they say the gunfire that erupted is part of a troubling trend of violence in their community. For one local mother, she says the aftermath has left her family searching for answers. Shena Mayfield, whose son was wounded in the shooting, says in the chaotic moments afterward, another one of her sons was aggressively taken into custody while reportedly trying to help his injured brother as he lay bleeding in the street. Video of the arrest has since spread across social media, adding another layer of controversy to an already emotional case.
“The cop hit him and they all just jumped on him and they wouldn’t stop hitting him. If you’re out and you’re with your family and something happens, there is a reaction you want to make sure that person is OK,” said Shena Mayfield, Mother of Shooting Victim. “If there’s means or you wanna stop someone or if they can’t go in the area or if there’s a crime scene you got mace for that they could’ve messed my son. There’s a way to do everything. You got these young men out here coming out, trying to be cops, but they don’t know any better. They need better training. They need a better system because right now this is not gonna die. All them cops that put their hands on my son. I want their badges and I want them locked up thank God and I’m grateful that they’re still here, but this didn’t have to happen.”
Mayfield says despite the violence, she believes what happened could have happened to anyone - describing it as a tragic case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time as her family now tries to move forward from the trauma.
“Things do happen. Things happen,” said Shena Mayfield, Mother of Shooting Victim. “But it’s how the other action came in because it could have been handled in a better way.”
While authorities continue to investigate what exactly led up to the gunfire here, residents express concern about violent activity in the community. Just weeks ago, another shooting less than two miles away interrupted a 13-year-old girl’s birthday party - leaving one person dead and several others hurt. Some residents point to open drug activity and groups gathering late into the night.
“It's not safe. Usually over there. There are 8 to 10 guys smoking marijuana outside the liquor store. The police, I don’t know where the police are,” said Adrian Ramirez, Paterson Resident. “Man, you're not even able to go into the store to buy milk. People blocking the stores, the doors smoking and selling marijuana.”
Law enforcement officials are urging anyone with information to contact the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office. Meanwhile residents say they want to see more visible enforcement and stronger community involvement before summer crowds bring even more activity outdoors.
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