By: Najla Alexander
Authorities in Monmouth County announced that a Brooklyn man has been convicted at trial in connection with a 2023 shooting that left a local man and woman injured.
Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago stated that Damian Bell, 51, will face a term of up to 60 years in state prison when he is sentenced on Thursday, October 16.
According to Monmouth County officials, on Friday, August 25, 2023, at approximately 7:14 a.m., members of the Freehold Borough Police Department responded to a home on Center Street for the report of a shooting incident.
Upon arrival, officers discovered two victims, a male and a female, both suffering from gunshot wounds. The victims were transported to a local hospital for treatment, MCPO officials say.
MCPO authorities say that an investigation by the MCPO Major Crimes Bureau and Freehold Borough Police Department, led by MCPO Detective Thomas Manzo and Freehold Borough Police Lieutenant John Reiff, revealed that Bell had gotten into a verbal argument that ultimately turned physical with the male victim.
Bell then retrieved a handgun from upstairs, returned downstairs, and shot both victims, including the female victim, as she attempted to run away while carrying her young child, Monmouth Cunty officials said. Bell then fled the scene prior to police arrival.
Monmouth County officials stated Bell was later located and arrested in Rowan County, North Carolina, in March 2024.
The approximately two-week trial before Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Joseph W. Oxley resulted in guilty verdicts on two counts of second-degree Aggravated Assault, along with single counts of three related weapons offenses, including one first-degree and two second-degree charges, MCPO officials said.