Man killed in police-involved shooting in Brick; started as domestic dispute

A man armed with a handgun was killed in what authorities said was a police-involved shooting that began as a domestic disturbance call that left two women hospitalized.

Neighbors reported hearing as many as 12 gunshots.

At 5:30 a.m. Sunday, Brick police responded to what was described as a loud domestic disturbance at a home on Meridian Drive in the Midstreams section of the township, said Al Della Fave, spokesman for the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office.

When police arrived, a man was outside the house with a handgun. The incident ended with a police-involved shooting that left that man dead, Della Fave said.

Della Fave had no details as to what prompted the shooting, or information about who the dead person was.

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Della Fave said two women who were injured in the initial domestic assault were taken to the hospital. He had no further information on who they were or the extent of their injuries.

No police officers were injured.

Neighbors described the street as quiet and safe, and were shocked by what happened. One woman, who declined to give her name, said she had lived there for decades and the neighborhood was always peaceful until Sunday.

Eric Nadal of Rainbow Drive said he woke up about 5:30 a.m. and heard a woman yelling for help and knocking on neighbors' doors.

"A woman had come out of her house screaming ‘somebody please help me,'" he said. "Shortly after that, there was a loud crash and bang."

As Nadal was getting dressed to go outside, he heard more noise, another crash "like somebody had thrown something through a window or something got tipped over," he said.

"There were some shots heard, which sounded an awful lot like fireworks," said Nadal. "There was a pause then a whole lot more shots were fired."

He went outside and said he saw police lining the street and children being evacuated from a home.

"Normally our town is quite safe," he said.

On Sunday afternoon, at least nine police vehicles were at the site, including Brick Township police, the Ocean County Sheriff's Crime Scene Investigations Unit, and a mobile command post.

Investigators were removing evidence bags from the scene.

Police had closed off Meridian Drive between Silver and Rainbow drives.

The Prosecutor's Office will be interviewing the Brick police officers involved in the shooting, Della Fave said. He added that none of officers involved were assigned to any prosecutor's office projects, so there are no conflicts.

There have been other police-involved shootings in the county, including:

A 56-year-old man believed to be in need of mental health services was shot and killed during a "physical altercation" with police in a Toms River apartment building in March, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office said.

Patrick Fennell, 57, a retired lieutenant with the New York Police Department, died July 16, 2016, after police say he pointed a revolver at the SWAT officer who shot him. On Feb. 16, 2017, the state attorney general's office released a report that the then-unidentified officer who shot him was justified in his use of force. Fennell’s family is suing for documents and recordings in the incident.

Limichael Shine, 18, of Manchester was killed by police in July 2016 after he called 911 and then brandished a knife when police arrived, authorities said. An officer fired, killing Shine. According to authorities, Shine left a note inside a car at a Robin Street home near where he died that read: "I am sorry to the officer on duty that will do this act. Remember you are loved."

Toms River police shot motorist Timothy Sauers, 30, who they said brandished a pellet gun during a traffic stop on July 7, 2016, officials said. Sauers recovered from his wounds.

Little Egg Harbor police fatally shot Francis Hartnett, 43, who ignored orders to drop a knife and charged at police on Nov. 17, 2015, authorities said.

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This is a developing story. A reporter and photographer are on the scene. Check back with APP.com for further updates.