Police Charge Long Branch Man with Attempted Murder After Wednesday Shooting

A 23-year-old Long Branch man is facing charges of attempted murder and weapons offenses for the early Wednesday morning shooting outside a city eatery, announced Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni.

Dyrell Stovall, also known as “Nug”, 23, of Long Branch, is charged with first degree Attempted Murder, and second degree counts of Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose and Unlawful Possession of a Weapon. Stovall is being held in the Monmouth County Correctional Institution, Freehold Township, on $950,000 bail with no 10 percent cash alternative, as set by Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Leslie-Ann M. Justus.

Long Branch Police arrested Stovall on Thursday, charging him in connection with a shooting incident early Wednesday morning outside Crown Chicken on Broadway in Long Branch.

Patrol units from the Long Branch Police Department responded to the area of Broadway and Third Avenue after receiving a report of gunshots at 1:34 a.m. on Wednesday, August 20. Upon arrival, officers located a 21-year-old city man, who sustained multiple gunshot wounds. The victim was transported to a local hospital, where he received medical treatment for his injuries and remains hospitalized in stable condition.

A joint investigation by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Bureau and Long Branch Police Department revealed the shooter fired multiple shots at the victim from a relatively close distance before fleeing the scene.

The investigation is being conducted by Detective Kevin Condon of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Bureau and Long Branch Police Detective Michael Verdadeiro. Anyone with additional information about this shooting is urged to call Detective Condon at 1-800-533-7443 or Detective Verdadeiro at 732-222-1000.

There was also a second shooting at approximately 2:34 a.m. on Broadway, butpolice have not released information on the second shooting at this time.

If Stovall is convicted of the first degree crime of Attempted Murder, the maximum potential custodial sentence is a state prison term of up to 20 years. Any custodial sentence imposed for the crimes of Attempted Murder would be subject to the provisions of the No Early Release Act (NERA), meaning Stovall would be required to serve 85 percent of the sentence imposed before becoming eligible for release on parole.

If convicted of either second degree Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose or second degree Unlawful Possession of a Weapon, the maximum potential custodial sentence is a state prison term of 10 years, and pursuant to the provisions of the “Graves Act” there is a mandatory period of parole ineligibility of one-half of the custodial sentence imposed, or 42 months, whichever is greater.

Despite these 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.