Video shows frantic moments before fatal police shooting in Paterson, NJ

Video released by the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General show the frantic minutes leading up to the shooting death of a Florida man by a Paterson police officer.

The incident happened on October 10.

The four videos, taken from both city surveillance cameras and private security cameras, show 33-year-old Hui Zhang first getting into an accident. His car slams into three other vehicles at a red light.

Zhang jumps out of his car and appears to be carrying a gun. A woman heard in the audio accompanying one of the videos can be heard saying, "That's a big gun."

He then runs down Van Houten Street and appears to be attempting to break into other vehicles in a desperate attempt to get away.

The commotion attracted the attention of Paterson Police Officer Victor Lora. Lora was in plainclothes at the time, and as a result was not wearing the standard issue body cameras that uniformed officers wear.

Lora and another unidentified man can be seen chasing after Zhang in one of the videos. The unidentified man is seen confronting Zhang behind a white van and appears to tackle him to the ground.

The shots that ended Zhang's life can be heard on one of the videos but are not seen.

In the final video, he is seen sprawled on the ground. Zhang was pronounced dead at the scene.

Less than a minute passed from the time Zhang attempted to get into one of the cars near the accident, and when you can hear gunshots.

The fatal shooting remains under investigation, and few details have been released, including why Zhang was in New Jersey.

Initial reports from the attorney general's office said the gun Zhang was carrying was not a real firearm, but rather a starter's pistol like the ones used to begin track and field events.

According to a news release accompanying the video, Zhang's family was contacted before the footage was released.

The surveillance video can be viewed below.

**CAUTION: Images may be disturbing to some viewers**

Eric Scott is the senior political director and anchor for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at eric.scott@townsquaremedia.com

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