Police: 17-Year-Old Killed, Second Teen Injured During Robbery In Paterson
PATERSON, NJ (CBSNewYork) -- Police are looking for suspects they say were involved in a deadly shooting in Paterson.
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Jose Rivera Jr., 17, was shot and killed near the entrance of Roberto Clemente Park Monday night.
His 15-year-old friend was taken to the hospital with a gunshot wound in the arm.
Investigators say four men, two of them armed, robbed the teens of a small amount of cash and their cell phones, fired a shot and then ran away.
The 17-year-old's dad Jose Rivera was distraught as visted the park Tuesday morning.
"Somebody called me today on my phone and told me my son died," Rivera told 1010 WINS' Steve Sandberg.
Police say they believe it was simply a crime of opportunity and that the teens were in the wrong place at the wrong time.
"Robbery went bad, they ended up shooting them killing the 17-year-old and wounding the 15-year-old," said Lt. Richard Reyes.
Jose Jr.'s classmates at Eastside High say the park in notoriously dangerous, but that these were good kids.
"The one that was killed, he was a quiet kid, always playing basketball," said one student. "He was always hanging out with people but he never started trouble."
"They were nice kids, they didn't start any trouble," said another student.
"He's a good son," said Rivera.
Police are still investigating.
