Crime & Safety

Police: Long Branch Man Arrested at Hospital After Shooting Self

Incident occurred around 10 p.m. Wednesday night.

A Long Branch man who accidentally shot himself in the leg was arrested early Thursday morning, according to Long Branch Detective Sgt. Jeff Pilone.

Detective Sgt. Pilone said officers received a call of shots fired near Morrell Street in Long Branch around 10 p.m. Officer K. Kim and other officers arrived and found a shell casing in the area, but no victim.

At 11 a.m., Long Branch police received a report of a shooting victim who was taken to a emergency room.

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Detectives Ben Cruz and Juan Vazquez, along with detectives from the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office, arrived at the hospital and found that Stephon Keys, 19, of Long Branch, had been driven to the hospital by his girlfriend after accidentally shooting himself, according to Pilone.

The detective said he did not have any further details on how Keys allegedly shot himself and that the incident is still under investigation.

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However, he did report that Keys was arrested at 4 a.m. Thursday morning and charged with unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of a defaced firearm. Pilone said the handgun's serial number had been scratched off.


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