TOMS RIVER – Three men were arrested after allegedly firing gunshots into a home with children present.
Lyjhahn Cromartie, 19, of Lakehurst and Shazir Vallade, 20, of Lakewood, were each charged with three counts of Attempted Murder in connection with an incident that occurred on January 13 in Toms River.
Around 1:55 a.m., police received a report of shots fired in the area of Justice Court in Hopes Crossing. According to police, three men had fired gunshots into a home. An adult and two children were inside the home at the time of the shooting.
Javir Askew-Mayweather, 21, of Manchester, was one of the individuals responsible for firing the shots, police said. On February 3 he was charged with three counts of Attempted Murder and a warrant was issued for his arrest. The following day, Askew-Mayweather was taken into custody by the United States Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force in Atlantic City. He was brought to the Ocean County Jail, and subsequently released as a consequence of New Jersey Bail Reform.
Authorities also identified Cromartie and Vallade as the other two individuals in the shooting. On February 27, Cromartie and Vallade were each charged with three counts of Attempted Murder. Cromartie was taken into custody without incident at his home by the Ocean County Regional SWAT Team. Vallade was likewise taken into custody without incident at his place of employment in Berkeley Township by Detectives.
Both were transported to the Ocean County Jail, where they presently remain pending a detention hearing.
Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer commended the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit, Toms River Township Police Department, Manchester Township Police Department, Lakehurst Police Department, Berkeley Township Police Department, Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, Ocean County Regional SWAT Team, Monmouth County Regional SWAT Team, Neptune Township Police Department, Atlantic City Police Department, and United States Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force, for their collaborative assistance in connection with this investigation.
The charges referenced above are merely accusations and the press and public are reminded that all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
