Detectives with the Community Stabilization Unit and Shooting Investigation Unit were conducting surveillance near Franklin and Mercer streets around 5:30 that evening when their attention was drawn to a male and a person of interest in a prior unrelated investigation, according to a spokesperson for the Attorney General's office, who oversees the Paterson Police Department.
Detectives responded to the area and detained the male who was found to be in possession of a 9mm semi-automatic handgun equipped with a large capacity magazine.
He was identified as a 13-year-old Paterson boy and was turned over to detectives in the Juvenile Unit, the AG's office said. The boy was charged with possession of a handgun by a minor and possession of a large capacity magazine.
Paterson police announced the incident on Facebook, concluding: "Public safety in Paterson is a shared responsibility, it takes more than just the police."
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