14-Year-Old Among 2 Killed In New Jersey Apartment Complex Shooting

A 14-year-old boy and a 31-year-old man were killed Friday in a shooting in Somerset County, New Jersey.

Police in the township of North Plainfield responded at 8:06 p.m. Friday to a call reporting multiple shooting victims at the Malcolm Gardens Apartment Complex on Little Place, according to an official statement from Somerset County Prosecutor Michael H. Robertson.

When police arrived at the building, officers found three males shot, including a 14-year-old boy, a 28-year-old man and a 31-year-old man, CBS New York reported. Police have yet to release the identities of the victims.

North Plainfield officers tried life-saving measures and requested emergency personnel while securing the crime scene, the prosecutor said.

The 14-year-old boy was pronounced dead at the scene. The 31-year-old man was brought to a trauma center but was pronounced dead a short time later.

The third victim was airlifted to a trauma center and then to emergency surgery for multiple gunshot wounds. He remains in critical condition as of Saturday morning.

A post mortem examination on the two deceased is set to be performed by the medical examiner’s office.

According to the prosecutor, preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect is a lone shooter who ambushed the three victims while they were gathered outside the apartment complex. All three were sitting on a first-floor apartment's patio area when the shooter allegedly confronted them and fired multiple shots at close range.

One of the victims reportedly lived in the apartment complex, although it was not specified which of the three it was.

The motive of the shooter is yet to be determined. Police have yet to release a description of the suspected shooter.

Detectives from the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit, the Crime Scene Investigations Unit, the North Plainfield Police Department and investigators for the New Jersey Northern Regional Medical Examiner’s Office are conducting a deeper investigation into the shooting, Robertson said.

Authorities are now seeking help from the public for information on the incident. Anyone with knowledge of the situation can call the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office at 908-231-7100 or the North Plainfield Police Department at 908-769-2937.

Tipsters can also use the STOPit app or call the Somerset County Crime Stoppers' Tip Line at 888-577-TIPS (8477) to leave anonymous tips.