Fatal shooting suspect charged after turning self in
Thursday night Incident not gang-related, prosecutor says
After turning himself in, a Freehold Borough man has been charged with the shooting of two men in Asbury Park last night, one of whom has died, according to a news release from the office of Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher Gramiccioni.
The incident was not gang-related, the prosecutor’s office said. Rather, it resulted from a verbal argument between the alleged gunman, Jamar S. Walker, 30, and the two victims, according to the release.
Walker now faces charges of murder, attempted murder, unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose. Bail has been set at $1.5 million, with no 10 percent option. The incident occurred in the 1400 block of Mattison Avenue.
The following is the full news release from the prosecutor’s office:
A Freehold Borough man was charged today in connection with the April 18 shootings of Orlando Rowe, 30, of Bridgeport, CT, and a 23-year old Freehold Borough man. Mr. Rowe was pronounced dead at a local hospital last night; the other victim underwent emergency surgery and remains in intensive care.
Jamar S. Walker, 30, of Freehold Borough, is charged with murder, attempted murder, unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose. Judge Francis J. Vernoia set bail at $1,500,000 with no 10% option.
On April 18, the Asbury Park police were summoned to the 1400 Block of Mattison Avenue at approximately 7:22 p.m. after receiving reports of shots being fired. Upon arrival, police located the two victims lying in the street. The investigation has since revealed that Walker and the two victims earlier met in Neptune Township and traveled to Asbury Park where they had a verbal argument while standing outside of a car. During the argument, Walker drew a gun and shot the two victims. Walker later turned himself in at the Freehold Borough Police Department. Investigators have concluded that the incident is not gang-related.
If convicted of first-degree murder, Walker faces a maximum of life in prison or a minimum of 30 years in State prison before he is eligible for parole. If convicted of first-degree attempted murder, Walker faces a maximum of 20 years in prison of which he must serve 85% of the sentence imposed. Lastly, if convicted of unlawful possession of a weapon or possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, second degree crimes, Walker faces between 5 and 10 years in prison, of which he would have to serve between one third and one half of the sentence imposed, or 3 years, whichever is greater, before he could become eligible for parole.
A cooperative investigation by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office and the Asbury Park Police Department is ongoing, with the assistance of the Freehold Borough Police Department. Anyone with information is asked to contact Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office Detective Jose Cruz at 800-533-7443, or Asbury Park Detective Steven Ramseur at 732-502-4587.