Off-Duty Officer Killed During Robbery in Paterson
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PATERSON, New Jersey — An off-duty city police officer was shot to death early yesterday and another man was wounded during an apparent botched robbery at a restaurant, and authorities were hunting for at least one suspect who fled the scene in a vehicle.
Patrolman Tyron Franklin, 23, who had graduated from the Paterson Police Academy in April 2006, was rushed to St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center in Paterson, where he was pronounced dead at about 2:05 a.m. The other victim, identified only as a 42-year-old man, also was taken there and was in stable condition yesterday night with wounds that authorities said were not considered life-threatening.
Police responding to a call of a shooting at Broadway Fried Chicken found the two men around 1:15 a.m. yesterday. It appeared that Franklin, who was on his day off and dressed in plain clothes, had taken out money to pay for food at the take-out restaurant when a man tried to rob him, Lieutenant Anthony Traina said.
A struggle ensued and Franklin — who was not armed — was shot with a handgun several times, Mr. Traina said, declining to provide further details. He said authorities were searching for at least one person involved in the shooting, who left in a van or sport utility vehicle.
Several hours after the shooting, police still had an entire block around the restaurant closed to traffic with yellow police tape, keeping curious onlookers at a distance. Meanwhile, Paterson Mayor Jose Torres initially offered $1,000 reward for information on the shooter, but other individuals soon offered additional funds, boosting the reward offer to $16,000.
Paterson City Council Member Anthony Davis, among those outside the shooting scene yesterday afternoon, said he had met Franklin several times. Mr. Davis knew the officer through Franklin’s father, a retired fire captain in Paterson.
“He was a fine young man,” Mr. Davis said of Franklin. “His dad wanted him to become a fireman, but he wanted to become a police officer.”
Franklin’s survivors include his 16-month-old son, Tyron Junior, or “T.J,” his mother, three sisters and a brother.
