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Hui Zhang, 33, of Pensacola, FL, was identified as the man who died in the police-involved shooting on Oct. 10.
Zhang was involved in a collision in the area of Straight and Van Houten streets at 4:12 p.m. that day, according to a release from New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin's office.
Zhang "ran from the scene" and "attempted to enter multiple other vehicles, armed with what appeared to be a handgun," the AG's release says.
Paterson Police Detective Victor Lora, a 16-year department veteran, pursued Zhang on foot and "fired his service weapon" a short time later, state authorities said.
Zhang was pronounced dead at the scene at 4:23 p.m., they said.
Recovered near his body was a 9mm P.A.K. Zoraki semiautomatic blank pistol, according to the release.
State law requires Platkin's office to investigate all deaths that occur in New Jersey “during an encounter with a law enforcement officer acting in the officer’s official capacity or while the decedent is in custody," no matter what the circumstances are.
The guidelines guarantee that the investigation by the attorney general's Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA) is done “in a full, impartial and transparent manner," removing politics or personal agendas.
Once the investigation is complete, the results are presented to a grand jury.
The grand jury reviews a host of evidence -- including witness interviews, body and dashcam video, and forensic and autopsy results -- to determine whether or not there was cause to suspect any wrongdoing on the part of law enforcement.
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