On a Tuesday evening in Paterson, New Jersey, the life of Nasir S. Davis, a 25-year-old male, was cut short by gunfire. At approximately 9:16 p.m. on May 3, 2022, police were called to the intersection of Fair and Auburn Streets following reports of a shooting. Arriving at the scene, officers discovered Davis inside a vehicle, suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. He was rushed to St. Joseph's University Medical Center, but tragically, he was pronounced deceased a short time later.
The investigation that followed pointed to what authorities described as a coordinated attack. Within weeks, two Paterson men were taken into custody. Anthony Powell, 24, was charged with first-degree murder under accomplice liability, with investigators alleging he was involved in planning and executing the shooting. A second individual, 22-year-old Joseph Shoulars, faced charges of unlawful possession of a weapon and hindering apprehension.
It was believed that Shoulars arrived at the scene after the shooting and removed the weapon used in the homicide. Both men were taken to the Passaic County Jail.
A man known as 'Nas' to friends and family, Davis was a graduate of Passaic County Technical Institute and had worked for the Paterson Department of Public Works. He was also a familiar face at Montgomery Park, where he served as a summer camp counselor. His loved ones remembered him as a fan of the Boston Celtics and New York Giants, who enjoyed playing video games, telling jokes, and cooking. While two individuals were charged in connection with his death, authorities, at the time of the arrests, had not publicly identified the person who fired the fatal shots, and the investigation was considered active and ongoing.
