Man shot dead by Paterson police in an apartment building

Police in Paterson, New Jersey shot and killed a man in an apartment building after cops were called to the scene and the man killed was an anti-violence activist, according to a community group.

The shooting took place Friday at a building on Mill Street. The police said they responded to calls from an emotionally disturbed person. and when they arrived at the apartment, a man barricaded himself inside. When they thought it was safe to enter, police said they were confronted by a man with a knife.

“The police were here for several hours trying to calm him down and get him out of the apartment, but he decided to set the apartment on fire,” council member Luis Velez said.

The two officers opened fire, wounding a man who was later identified by the Paterson Healing Collective as Naji Seabrooks, who was known to help people at risk. The group called Seabrook’s death “an injustice”, adding that the situation should never have gone to the lethal force.

The state attorney general is currently investigating. New Jersey Representative Bill Paskrell offered his condolences, telling NBC New York that he is working closely with the anti-violence group.

“I also know the family, very sadly, the organization that was represented. I just got them money last month to try and help them help people on the street who need help,” Pascrell said. “The officers worked in good faith, but someone died, so we have to look at it to see what we can find out.”