A (Photo by Brian Donohue. Click to enlarge.)
By BRIAN DONOHUE
note: this story has been edited to correct an earlier typo on the number of people seen by a witness.
A Long Branch man was shot in the leg when an apparent altercation erupted into gunfire following a gathering at the Bates Lodge on Shrewsbury Avenue early Saturday morning, police said.
At 1:48 am. officers responded to St. Mary Place just off Shrewsbury Avenue for a report of shots fired, according to Red Bank Police Chief Mike Frazee. Upon their arrival they located three shell casings in the roadway and not many people in the area, Frazee said. There had been a gathering at the Bates Lodge across the street earlier.
Police were notified a short time later that a gunshot victim had been admitted to Riverview Medical Center. He was identified as Derek Harper, 36, of Long Branch. Harper was shot in the left thigh, and is in stable condition Frazee said.
“The incident appears to be isolated and there are no known threats in the area,” Frazee said in an emailed statement issued Saturday afternoon.
A resident of St. Mary Place said they saw a group of roughly a half dozen people arguing for a lengthy period of time when one man began to get physical and had to be held back by others before one person took out a gun and fired.
An investigation is ongoing, Frazee said. It is being conducted by Red Bank Police Sgt. Sean Hauschildt and Detective Shane Dengel along with the Monmouth County Prosecutors office. Anyone with information or camera footage related to the shooting is asked to call the Red Bank Police Department at 732-530-2719.
redbankgreen editor Brian Donohue may be reached via email at [email protected] or by calling or texting 848-331-8331 or yelling his name loudly as he walks by. Do you value the news coverage provided by redbankgreen? Please become a financial supporter if you haven’t already. Click here to set your own level of monthly or annual contribution.
