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Shaquan Winstead |
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David Armfield |
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Stephanie French |
Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Acting Paterson Police Chief Bert Ribeiro
announce that based upon an investigation by the Paterson Police Department, in conjunction
with the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office, Shaquan Winstead, 28-years old from Paterson;
David Armfield, 31-years old from Paterson; and Stephanie French, 26-years old from Totowa
were arrested in connection to the homicide that took place on October 1, 2022 in the area of
Van Houten Street and Summer Street in Paterson, New Jersey. Armfield and French were
arrested on January 11, 2023, without incident. Winstead was arrested in Virginia on January 10,
2023 and will be extradited back to New Jersey.
Shaquan Winstead and David Armfield are charged with Murder, first degree; Attempted
Murder, first degree; Possession of a Handgun for an Unlawful Purpose, second degree;
Unlawful Possession of a Handgun, second degree; and Certain Persons Not To Possess
Weapons, second degree. Stephanie French is charged with Hindering Apprehension, third
degree.
On October 1, 2022, at approximately 10:36 p.m., members of the Paterson Police Department
responded to the area of Van Houten Street and Summer Street in Paterson, New Jersey after a
report of a shooting. Upon their arrival, officers did not locate any victims but were advised
there were two gunshot victims at St. Joseph’s University Medical Center. One victim, a 42-
year-old male from Paterson identified as Briheem Nero, was pronounced deceased. The second
victim, a 49-year-old female from Paterson, sustained a gunshot wound to the arm and survived.
The subsequent investigation revealed that Shaquan Winstead and David Armfield took part in
the shooting. Stephanie French assisted Shaquan Winstead with avoiding apprehension. Shaquan
Winstead and David Armfield are currently detained. Stephanie French was released pending a
date at Central Judicial Processing. The State will file motions for pretrial detention against
Shaquan Winstead and David Armfield that will be heard by a Superior Court Judge.
The crime of Murder has a sentencing range from a minimum of 30 years up to life
imprisonment; the crime of Attempted Murder has a sentencing range of 10 to 20 years in prison;
the crimes of Possession of a Handgun for an Unlawful Purpose, Unlawful Possession of a
Handgun, and Certain Persons Not to Possess Weapons each have a sentencing range of 5 to 10
years in prison. The crime of Hindering Apprehension carries a maximum sentence of 5 years in
State Prison.
A criminal complaint is merely an accusation. Despite this accusation, defendants are presumed
innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
The Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office asks anyone with additional information about this
incident to contact us on our tips line at 1-877-370-PCPO or tips@passaiccountynj.org or contact
the Paterson Police Detective Bureau at 973-321-1120.
