[img]http://media.northjersey.com/images/300*227/noheadline+(2)1.jpg[/img] Marlon Rochester [img]http://media.northjersey.com/images/300*232/080410_Godfrey.jpg[/img] Robert Godfrey
PATERSON — A community vigil against crime turned deadly Tuesday night when a 39-year-old city man was fatally shot on a crowded street during a National Night Out block party.
Robert Godfrey, also known as “Strong,” was lying dead in the street when police arrived at 74 Godwin Ave. shortly before midnight Tuesday, said Detective Lt. Ron Humphrey. Marlon Rochester, 30, who lives on Godwin Avenue, has been charged with murder and weapons offenses and is being sought by police, Humphrey said
Godfrey’s killing, the latest of more than a half dozen slayings this year in Paterson, is the first in memory to have occurred during a National Night Out event anywhere in the United States, said Matt Peskin, national project coordinator for National Night Out. Typically, the nature of the event serves as a strong deterrent to violence.
“I’ve been doing this for 27 years and have never heard of that,” Peskin said.
The tragedy is a reflection, he said, on the state of the streets. “It illustrates that there are weapons out there and that anything can happen in any neighborhood, and that’s one of the reasons the night works and is important.”
Late Wednesday morning, more than a dozen of Godfrey’s family and friends gathered outside his house at 76 Godwin Ave., for an impromptu vigil.
Godfrey’s girlfriend, Deborah Jackson, recalled him tearfully as “fun-loving and lovable.”
Ahmad Vaughan, a friend, said Godfrey often volunteered at events in neighborhood parks. The Rev. Larry Williams of Thankful Baptist Church, at 80 Godwin Ave., said that while Godfrey didn’t live on the block anymore, he visited frequently and was sometimes seen tidying up the street.
“He did a lot of things for the community,” Williams said.
Godfrey had a criminal record. In May 2004, he was sentenced for drug possession and distribution and for aggravated assault. He was released from prison in August 2006, according to state records.
None of the neighbors and friends interviewed knew Rochester well. They said he had only lived on the block for about a month.
Several witnesses who were at the block party told police that Godfrey, of North York Street, and Rochester had been arguing loudly, Humphrey said. The argument soon turned physical, he said, and Rochester pulled out a gun and fired one shot at Godfrey’s head.
Rochester immediately fled. The weapon has not been found.
Lt. Richard Reyes said he did not know whether there had been increased police presence for the anti-crime night.
Charles Pettiford, a spokesman for Mayor Jeffery Jones, said the shooting appeared to have happened “on the spur of the moment” and did not reflect badly on National Night Out.
“It has no bearing at all on the magnificent job that was done last night,” he said.
On Godwin Avenue Wednesday, the focus was on remembrance.
A friend of 21 years who identified himself as “Tony” called Godfrey “a hell of a man. He was just good all around, very helpful, a very considerate, caring person.”
Anyone with information on the crime is asked to call the Paterson Police Detective Bureau at 973-321-1120
E-mail: astor@northjersey.com and fabiano@northjersey.com
http://www.northjersey.com/news/crime_courts/080410_Paterson_man_shot_and_killed_during_anti-crime_block_party.html
Rochester's MS: http://www.myspace.com/467670570