By: Richard L. Smith
A 33-year-old Montclair man has been charged in connection with a June shooting that left a 22-year-old woman injured, according to the Montclair Police Department.
Marquis Staton turned himself in to authorities on Tuesday evening, July 15, just hours after he was formally charged by investigators.
The charges stem from a June 11 incident at the Shell Gas Station on Bloomfield Avenue, where a late-night fight erupted, ending in gunfire.
Police responded to the scene around 11:24 p.m. after receiving reports of a large fight and shots fired.
Upon arrival, officers found a crowd gathered at the gas station and observed blood at the scene, but no victim was present.
Shortly after, Mountainside Hospital alerted authorities that a 22-year-old woman had arrived at the emergency room with a gunshot wound to her left leg.
The victim, a Montclair resident, was later transferred to Hackensack University Medical Center for further treatment.
She told investigators that she had been in the gas station parking lot when a fight broke out between two men.
Although not involved in the altercation, she reported hearing a gunshot and immediately feeling pain in her leg. A good Samaritan drove her to the hospital.
Following a weeks-long investigation, Montclair detectives identified Staton as the alleged shooter. He has been charged with Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon, Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose, and Unlawful Possession of a Weapon.
Staton is currently being held at the Essex County Correctional Facility pending his first court appearance