by Mark Spivey
FREEHOLD – Two individuals involved in a road-rage incident that culminated with a nonfatal shooting last month have been arrested and charged, Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Lori Linskey announced Thursday.
Keyshawn J. Palmer, 29, of Freehold Township and Chyna R. Edwards, 22, of Tinton Falls are both charged with first-degree Attempted Murder, first-degree Conspiracy to Commit Attempted Murder, and two related second-degree weapons offenses. Palmer is additionally charged with fourth-degree Certain Persons not to Possess a Firearm, while Edwards is additionally charged with second-degree Aggravated Assault.
Shortly after 11 p.m. on Friday, January 14, members of the Ocean Township Police Department responded to the area of Wickapecko Drive and Sunset Avenue on a report of a discharged firearm. At that location, they encountered an adult female who reported that an adult male acquaintance had been shot in the leg moments earlier and was en route to a local hospital for treatment.
An investigation involving members of the MCPO Major Crimes Bureau and the Ocean Township Police Department revealed that the incident began on Route 35 in Eatontown, when the female victim inadvertently cut off a vehicle being driven by Edwards, with Palmer in the passenger seat.
Edwards then allegedly followed the woman through several municipalities before colliding with her vehicle not far from the scene of the shooting. The male victim, having been contacted by the female victim, arrived in the area moments later, prompting a verbal dispute, at which time Palmer allegedly fired a handgun at him, striking him in the leg. Palmer and Edwards subsequently fled the scene.
The investigation ultimately led to the pair being identified as suspects in the case, and they turned themselves in to authorities without incident on Tuesday, February 15. They were then lodged in the Monmouth County Correctional Institution (MCCI) to await a first appearance and detention hearing to take place in Monmouth County Superior Court. A search of the vehicle being driven by Edwards on the night of the incident, a Nissan Sentra, also produced a .380-caliber handgun.
The Prosecutor’s Office and the Ocean Township Police Department would like to thank the members of the U.S. Marshals Service, Freehold Borough Police Department, and Freehold Township Police Department who assisted in this investigation.
Convictions on first-degree criminal charges are commonly punishable by terms of 10 to 20 years in state prison.
Despite the charges, every defendant is presumed innocent, unless and until found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, following a trial at which the defendant has all of the trial rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution and State law.
This case has been assigned to Monmouth County Assistant Prosecutor Matthew Bogner. Palmer is being represented by John Murphy III, Esq., with an office in Staten Island, while Edwards is being represented by Adam Mitchell, Esq., with an office in Freehold.
Anyone with any information about this matter is urged to contact Prosecutor’s Office Detective Christopher Guy toll-free at 1-800-533-7443 or Ocean Township Police Department Detective Dean Schoch at 732-531-1800.