A Mays Landing man has been sentenced to New Jersey state prison after he was convicted on March 8, by an Atlantic County jury in connection to a September 2017, shooting that killed one man and wounded several others, Atlantic County Prosecutor Damon G. Tyner announced.
Matthew Gonzalez was sentenced on the following charges on Thursday, November 19, to an aggregate 40-year sentence in prison:
- 1st-degree Aggravated Manslaughter
- 2nd-degree Aggravated Assault
- 4th-degree Aggravated Assault
- 4th-degree Aggravated Assault
- 2nd-degree Unlawful Possession of a Handgun
- 2nd-degree Possession of a Handgun for an Unlawful Purpose
- 2nd-degree Attempted Bribery
- 1st-degree Witness Tampering.
“This sentence should send a very clear message to all of those who commit violent crimes in Atlantic County," Atlantic County Prosecutor Damon G. Tyner said. "If you think that you will intimidate and threaten witnesses so they won’t testify against you, we will prosecute you and you can tack on another 15 years consecutive to the sentence for your original offense. Witness tampering interferes with the integrity of the criminal justice system. This defendant will spend the next 40 years in prison thinking about all of the poor decisions that landed him there.”
According to police, A 911 call was received at the Hamilton Township Police department at 5:30 p.m., on Sunday, September 24, 2017, for a report of shots fired and that several victims were shot at the Brandywood Townhomes.
Police reported that during a fight at the Brandywood Apartment Complex in the Township of Hamilton, Gonzalez opened fire killing Mitchell and injuring the 3 other individuals.
“This conviction and sentencing is a move in the direction of closure for Taufeeq Mitchell‘s family," Chief Assistant Prosecutor Erik Bergman, said. "I would like to thank the entire ACPO Major Crimes Unit, lead ACPO Detective Patrick Bell and the Township of Hamilton Police Department for their work on this case.”