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As a result of an investigation into two shooting incidents last Tuesday night, a local man has been arrested for possession of a handgun, Asbury Park Police Captain Anthony Salerno said today.

Bruce Rice, 29, of Elizabeth Avenue in Asbury Park, was arrested and charged with possession of a handgun “as a direct result of the police investigating” two shootings that occurred on Tuesday, Nov. 20, Salerno said. Salerno would not comment on the man’s connection to Tuesday’s events.

On Nov. 20, two shootings occurred within two hours of each other in Asbury Park. Police responded to the first shooting at about 8:40 p.m. on Central Avenue, just north of Asbury Avenue.

“It was a drive-by shooting,” Salerno said. “There were two subjects that were shot at and one of them was struck.”

The victim, a 24-year-old Asbury Park male, was taken to Jersey Shore Medical Center by a friend, Salerno said, and was listed in stable condition.

The second shooting occurred at about 10:40 p.m. in the 700 block of Comstock Street, between Asbury and Sewall avenues, Salerno said. A 43-year-old Long Branch man was shot after being approached by three men wearing masks. The men stole his cell phone and shot him twice, Salerno said. He was taken to Jersey Shore Medical Center by a friend and listed in stable condition, he said.

The Asbury Park Police Department and the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office are jointly investigating these cases. Anyone with information surrounding the incidents is asked to call Salerno at 732-502-5792.

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