TOMS RIVER – After a month-long trial, a Toms River man was found guilty in the shooting deaths of two men in 2021, officials said.
Tyshaun Drummond, 42, was found guilty of two counts of Murder in connection with the deaths of Nicholas Hardy, 36, of Toms River, and Sergio Chavez-Perez, 32, of Lakewood. The murders occurred in the early morning hours of December 19, 2021, in Lakewood.
In rendering its verdict, the jury concluded beyond a reasonable doubt that Drummond purposely or knowingly caused the deaths of Hardy and Chavez-Perez, officials said.
Additionally, the jury found Drummond guilty of Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose, Unlawful Possession of a Weapon, and Burglary.
Drummond is scheduled to be sentenced on December 13 at which time he faces life in prison.
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.
“It has taken nearly three years, but justice has finally been served in this case,” Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer stated. “Soon, Tyshaun Drummond will be held to account for the brutal murders of Mr. Hardy and Mr. Chavez-Perez, as he faces the prospect of spending the rest of his natural born days in prison. We hope this jury verdict affords the loved ones of these victims some semblance of closure.”
