Lamont McKay, 32, was arrested a short time after he arrived at HUMC’s emergency room around 3 a.m. Saturday, authorities said.
An investigation by city police, in conjunction with the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office, determined that McKay had shot himself, they said.
McKay has served three prison terms the past 10 years -- mostly for assault and aggravated assault -- and has been free for only 34 months in that period.
He most recently served nearly years on a gun possession conviction, for which he was paroled last July.
Authorities will ask a judge to keep McKay behind bars until the case is resolved, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Paterson Police Chief Troy Oswald said in a joint release.
Charges include being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, which carries a five-year mandatory prison sentence before parole eligibility.
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