TOMS RIVER – A township man has been sentenced to 30 years in state prison for the shooting deaths of two men in 2021, officials said.
Tyshaun Drummond, 42, was sentenced with a 30-year period of parole ineligibility – in connection with the murder of Nicholas Hardy, 36, of Toms River. In addition, Drummond was sentenced to 30 years New Jersey State Prison (NJSP) – likewise with a 30-year period of parole ineligibility – in connection with the murder of Sergio Chavez-Perez, 32, of Lakewood. Both murders occurred on December 19, 2021, in Lakewood. The sentences will run consecutively.
After a month-long trial, Drummond was found guilty of two counts of Murder. The jury also found Drummond guilty of Burglary; Drummond was sentenced to 10 years NJSP as to the Burglary count, which will run concurrent to the sentences imposed on the Murder convictions.
After receiving reports of shots fired at an apartment complex on River Avenue, officers found Hardy and Chavez-Perez shot in the head.
Drummond, who matched the description of the shooter, was found in front of the complex. Police said when he was ordered to lay on the ground, he refused, and was subdued by a Taser-type weapon. He has been in jail ever since his release from a hospital on December 21, 2021.
Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer applauds the outstanding efforts of Chief Assistant Prosecutor Robert Cassidy and Supervising Assistant Prosecutor Mara Brater and, who ably and skillfully tried the case on behalf of the State. The Prosecutor likewise extends his gratitude to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit, Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Victim Witness Advocacy Unit, Lakewood Township Police Department, and Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, for their combined and collective efforts, leading to Drummond’s apprehension, guilty verdicts, and now his very lengthy state prison sentence.
