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EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP, N.J. (AP) — Four men and a teenager have been charged in a rolling shootout on a New Jersey highway that left one man dead and four of the suspects injured.
State police announced on Twitter late Tuesday that they had located a pickup truck that may have been involved in the Monday afternoon shootout on the Atlantic City Expressway. They had released photos of the truck that were taken by security cameras before and after the shooting occurred.
The truck had a temporary Delaware license plate, XC988134, and the photos showed damage to the truck's left rear bumper and crutches in the truck's bed.
Rosemond Octavius, 22, was killed in the shooting that happened in his hometown, Egg Harbor Township. He was a passenger in a car driven by Anthony Hicks, state police said. The 24-year-old Hicks, of Mays Landing, was not injured in the shootings, but he does face weapons charges that were announced Tuesday.
Three men and a 16-year-old who were in an SUV were also shot and wounded, and two of them remained hospitalized Tuesday in stable condition. The men — Lenardo Caro, 24, of Little Egg Harbor Township; Yahshaun Stukes-Williams, 19, of Mays Landing; and Shaun Stukes, 38, of Atlantic City — and the teen all face weapons charges. The men are also accused of employing a juvenile in a crime.
Bail was set at $250,000 for all five suspects. It wasn't known Tuesday if any of them had retained lawyers.
Authorities stressed that the investigation was in its "early phase" and said more serious charges could be filed. They also have not yet determined who fired the shots that killed Octavius, who was struck in the head.
The shooting occurred just before 3 p.m. in the eastbound lanes of the Atlantic City Expressway, a busy highway connecting the Philadelphia area with New Jersey shore towns, not far from Atlantic City's airport. A short time later, troopers on the Garden State Parkway, which intersects the expressway nearby, received a 911 call for a medical assist.
When the troopers arrived, they found Octavius dead in the passenger seat of a car.
Around that same time, police were called to a convenience store where the three other men and the teenager in the SUV had gone, authorities said. They sought help from passers-by and were soon taken to a hospital for treatment.
The SUV was found with an estimated 21 bullet holes, authorities said. Shots were fired through the front windshield, other windows appeared to have been shot out and one rear tire was gone.
Police officers traced the SUV's path back to a location near the convenience store where they found three handguns and one AK-style rifle. Additional evidence was located in the SUV, but no information about those items was disclosed.
The pickup that was sought by police apparently had exited in the Pleasantville area. It wasn't clear how many people may have been in the vehicle or what role its occupants played in the encounter. Police declined to release any additional information other than to say no additional arrests had been made.
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This story has been corrected to show the shooting occurred on the Atlantic City Expressway, not the Garden State Parkway, and to show the victim's first name is Rosemond, not Rosemund, based on updated information from police.
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