Florida Man Shoots Victim With Gun Stolen From Jersey Shore Business, Police Say

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ — A Florida man is charged with attempted murder and accused of stealing a gun from a Galloway business and using it to shoot a man in the leg after a verbal dispute, Atlantic City police said.

At 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 5, police were responding to a ShotSpotter alert detecting gunshots in the area of 2400 Pacific Avenue when they were stopped by Collin Forrestel, 43, according to a news release.

Forrestel, a Gainesville, FL resident, claimed to have been shot in the face; officers were alerted to another man who was struck by gunfire and was now in the unit south block of Georgia Avenue, police said.

Forrestel was taken to the hospital where it was determined he had not been shot, police said. The other man, a 38-year-old from Philadelphia, was seriously injured by gunfire to his leg, police said. His injury was not life-threatening and he was also hospitalized.

An investigation found that Forrestel and the Philadelphia man were arguing when Forrestel shot him, police said. The other man punched Forrestel in the face and both fled in different directions.

Forrestel dropped the gun in a dumpster, which was later found by a police officer.

It was later determined that Forrestel had stolen the gun from a Galloway store earlier that day, according to police.

This investigation was aided by public and private security cameras and facial recognition software through the department’s records management vendor, ProPhoenix.

Forrestel was charged with attempted murder, three counts of aggravated assault, unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, possession of a prohibitive device and certain person not to possess a weapon. He sits in the Atlantic County Justice Facility.