On a cold February night in Paterson, New Jersey, the life of Rodney Phelps, a 39-year-old male, was cut short by gunfire. It was around 11:20 p.m. on February 4, 2022, when police responded to reports of a shooting on Van Houten Street. Arriving at the scene, officers discovered Phelps lying in the roadway, having sustained apparent gunshot wounds. Medical personnel were unable to save him, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
At the time, this marked the fourth homicide in Paterson for that year. Phelps was a resident of Washington Township in Warren County.
The investigation into the shooting quickly pointed to a suspect. Authorities identified Jaquan Housey, a 33-year-old ex-convict from Paterson who lived only blocks from where the fatal shooting occurred, as the alleged perpetrator. Just a few days after Phelps's death, on the following Monday morning, police apprehended Housey at his apartment on 12th Avenue. He was subsequently charged with murder and weapons offenses in connection with the slaying of Rodney Phelps.
Jaquan Housey was no stranger to law enforcement, with a criminal history that included convictions for drug and weapons offenses. He had previously been sentenced to a seven-year prison term for these crimes and was released in October 2019. His record also included a conviction for repeatedly molesting a 10-year-old girl, which led to his classification as a Tier 2 Megan's Law offender, indicating a moderate risk of re-offending. If convicted of the charges related to Rodney Phelps's death, Housey could face a life sentence in prison.
