In the early evening of September 4, 2016, the life of 19-year-old Edrian J. Peguero, a Hispanic male, was cut short by gunfire in Paterson, New Jersey. The fatal shooting occurred at approximately 7:30 p.m. outside of 75 Lafayette Street. Peguero was wounded during the incident and rushed to St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center for medical attention. Despite the efforts of medical staff, he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead.
This act of violence was not an isolated event, as it marked the beginning of a string of shootings that plagued Paterson over the next several hours.
Following an investigation into the homicide, authorities identified 26-year-old Hendryck Acosta, a resident of Paterson, as the suspected shooter. A warrant was issued for his arrest, and on September 30, 2016, an off-duty police officer spotted Acosta at a Home Depot on 5th Avenue. The officer called for backup and successfully apprehended Acosta. He was subsequently charged with murder and two weapons-related offenses. Bail for Acosta was set at $1 million.
The legal proceedings against Hendryck Acosta were fraught with challenges for the prosecution. The case against him was built largely on surveillance footage from the night of the murder, as there were no eyewitnesses to the crime, and no murder weapon, fingerprints, or DNA evidence directly linking him to the shooting were found. After a trial and six days of deliberations, the jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict, leading the judge to declare a mistrial. Further complicating the prosecution's case was the refusal of a key witness, who was the driver of the vehicle Peguero was in, to testify. This individual was later sentenced to two months for contempt of court. A new trial for Acosta was scheduled to begin on October 21, 2019.
