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Members of the public voiced concerns over the two fatal shootings that occurred in the city during the prior night at a regularly scheduled Asbury Park City Council meeting Wednesday. 

The State’s Attorney General’s Office Shooting Response Task Force is investigating the police-involved fatal shooting that occurred near 10:19 pm Tuesday at a multi-unit home located at 305 Seventh Ave. The decedent was identified as James Manzo, 27, a tenant at the home.

According to the preliminary investigation, members of the Asbury Park Police Department responded to the home on a report that Manzo was behaving erratically, a news statement from the AG’s office said. Upon arrival, Asbury Park officers entered the building and attempted to talk to Manzo at his doorway.  After a time, Manzo attempted to shut his door on the officers, but he then emerged armed with a pair of scissors. During the encounter, one officer fired at Manzo, fatally wounding him. Manzo was taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 10:52 p.m. According to News 12 NJ report, the officers were not hurt and their names were not released.

The second deadly shooting occurred near 1:45 am along the 700 block of Sewell Avenue, the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office said in a news statement. The Asbury Park Police Department responded to a report of a gunshot victim in front of 707 Sewall Ave, officials said. Upon arrival, officers located the victim, identified as Jabar Busby, 32, of 709 Sewall Ave., unresponsive with a gunshot wound. Busby was taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune Township where he was pronounced deceased at 2:33 a.m.

Prior to the regularly scheduled meeting Wednesday, the Asbury Park governing body released a statement to address the two separate fatal shootings that occurred during the overnight hours.

As being reported in the press, we can confirm there were two unrelated shootings in Asbury Park last night.

While we cannot provide details of the events, we can assure you that the Asbury Park Police Department and Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office are working diligently on these cases.

We also want to remind our citizens that Asbury Park declared itself a Stigma-Free Community last year – with the goal of erasing the stigma associated with mental illness so that residents can get the resources they need without judgment. Individuals with mental health issues are encouraged to seek assistance through the City’s Social Services Department (732-502-4528) or through any other available avenue. We also encourage family and friends to get the help they need through these same channels so they can better assist loved ones in a time of crisis.

Lastly, we cannot stress enough – if you have any knowledge of a crime, we implore you to immediately contact the Asbury Park Police Department or the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office. The public is our first and best line of defense against violence within our community.

The safety of our residents and visitors is of the utmost importance to us. Please remember to contact the APPD to report any suspicious activity at 732-774-1300 and press 0 for Dispatch. To contact the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, call 800-533-7443. Or to make an anonymous tip, contact Monmouth County Crime Stoppers at 800-671-4400, text “MONMOUTH” plus your tip to 274637 (CRIMES), or visit www.monmouthcountycrimestoppers.com.

“I was happy to hear you mention the city being a stigma-free zone,’ Deal Lake Drive resident Linda Phillips said. “There’s a lot of shooting going on in the city right now, they seem to be increasing. I know that in the past, a few months ago, we were talking about having a Human Rights Commission as some sort of civilian police review board so we could actually have our hands on what is going on in the city day to day, maybe help prevent some of these things from happening.” 

Phillips asked, “if there is someone with mental illness having a problem and the police go out with guns shouldn’t there be someone with them who can try to handle the situation without violence. If we are trying to be a better, improved city with these kinds of issues, saying we are stigma-free zone and having cops be the first response to a person reported with mental health issues on the street doesn’t seem the best way to handle this.”

Deputy Mayor Quinn said while she could not speak directly to details surrounding the two shooting [due to the ongoing investigations] there were requirements the city had to meet in order to be classified as a stigma-free zone. 

In answering Phillips question as to the results of the investigation, Mayor John Moor said, “When the Attorney General’s Office tells us, we’ll tell you.” 

Moor also said, “I think the Attorney General’s decision that any shooting like this [officer involved] should be investigated by the State Police, I thank them a hundred times over. John Moor personally thinks internal affairs should be either County wise or zone wise. It shouldn’t be 566 police departments have 566 internal affairs. I’m hoping the Attorney General looks at everything and changes the law.” 

City Manager Michael Capabianco said, ‘the last option is force. For any calls of service within realms, obviously there are exemptions, there is crisis intervention that is done.” 

Mattison Avenue resident Duanne Small said a plan to address violence in the city was devised in 2014. He said sending police in to address the problem after the fact creates more tension between the community and law enforcement. 

“The solution is jobs and economic [growth] going on in Asbury must reach the people on the west side of town; young black men and young black women. If you go around our town, everyone in here knows who is doing the work – outsiders and the undocumented. Nobody is saying nothing [about] the effects undocumented immigration is having on black communities, specifically here in Asbury Park…Of course, you are going to have problems between the police and the community because we are being economically pinched. We hear people talk about diversity, it’s an illusion. Diversity is only good for the people actually benefiting from it…Any community you go in across this country where there is a lack of economic opportunities, you have problems with the police.”

Moor thanked Small for speaking. He said jobs are available for members of the [black] community along the boardwalk. 

“People down along the beachfront and other places are begging for help,” Moor said. “They run ads all the time so we have to work together.” 

Rev Nicolle Harris, a lifelong resident, said, “I am asking for you to be very intentional about whatever needs to be done and the vetting of police officers that come to work in our city…I read your statement, which was appropriate I believe for the situation. When dealing with my own family situations with the police in this town, some of the answers I got from your very own officers were, ‘well you know they were in the westside of town and its kind of dangerous over there, so you just have to be mindful about how our police officers feel when they are that side of town patrolling.’ I explained to your officer, I live there, you don’t have to tell me about the west side of town. If your officer is scared to come over there for 8 or 12 hours, how do you think I feel living there every day. And so, if I have to be sensitive to how your officer feels while they are on duty, don’t you think they have to be a little sensitive to the fact that I live there 24/7. If we are hiring people who are scared to serve the community, coming here to get a paycheck, I’m asking you to vet these officers better before they come here to work.”  

Jennifer Lewinsky, founder of the local Black Lives Matter chapter said the decline in crime numbers is a false barometer. 

“Crime numbers are down because people are leaving because they don’t have anywhere to go and that is not a measure of success,” she said. “I just want to make sure that everyone understands that the crime rates are dropping because people are not here. I don’t want to have a vision of crime rates dropping and things getting better; crime rates are dropping and things are getting better for some people but for a lot of us, it is not getting better, we are just getting pushed out of here…I want you to intentionally think about the culture that you are building and how it’s getting built on the backs of people who are getting pushed out.”

The City Council opened the night’s meeting by honoring the five young women employed at The Crepe Shop who sprang into action to aid a woman injured in the July 4th boardwalk shooting. Donning them the ‘Fantastic Five,’ the City praised their combined effort to protect the victim, secure their location and administer first aid until emergency responders could arrive. 

The proclamation said, Alyssa Balzano, Jasmine Balzano, Lindsey Lavelle, Meridith Prud’homme, and Gianna Spinelli, demonstrated great bravery and quick thinking through their rescue and assistance of the victim of the incident that took place on July 4. This team of employees’ care and concern for the victim and her family in the midst of a possible active shooter situation is exemplary and the commitment of these members of the Crepe Shop staff to ensure the well-being of the City of Asbury Park, its guests and residents is both remarkable and extraordinary. The admirable actions of these young women prove them to be role models for all Asbury Park youth. 

Owner Harry Antonopolous said he learned of the girls’ heroic response as soon as the shooting occurred.

“It’s extraordinary, it’s unbelievable,” he said. “Really they did an amazing job. I hired them to make crepes not to apply pressure on wounds, try to put on makeshift tunicates, secure the scene, and provide comfort to the family. It’s unbelievable how every one of them played their part. I don’t have kids but if any one of these girls was my daughter, I’d be super, super, super, proud of them.”

“I wasn’t really that scared,” Jasmine Balzano, 19, of Sea Girt said. “I feel like we just really had to get done what we needed to get done.” 

“I think there was definitely an initial scare because I saw it, then I ran up and then I ducked,”  Meridith Prud’homme, 17, of West Allenhurst. “But after it happened, I think everyone just went to adrenaline and just did what felt natural to them. 

“We all did different things and somehow it all just happened at one time.” Giana Spinelli, 20, of Marlboro said.

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