FREEHOLD, NJ – The victims of the shooting in Asbury Park Wednesday evening are being identified.
Yovanni Banos-Merino, 10, died from a gunshot wound sustained Wednesday evening at his Ridge Avenue home. His mother, Lilia Merino, 38, also sustained injuries but was treated and released from Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune Township.
A Neptune Township teen was arrested without incident and charged Thursday for his role in the shooting death of the child and wounding of the victim’s mother in Asbury Park.
Asbury Park police responded to a 911 call around 10:40 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2018, reporting shots fired at a home in the 400 block of Ridge Avenue in the city. Police arrived to find the 10-year old child and his 39-year old mother had been struck with gunshot wounds. The child’s mother was treated and released for her injuries, however the child was pronounced deceased at 11:18 p.m.
The joint investigation is being conducted by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office and the Asbury Park Police Department with assistance from Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office and Neptune Township Police Department. At this point in the investigation, it appears that neither the 10-year old child nor his mother were the intended victims of this shooting. The intended target was another occupant also present within the home.
The juvenile is charged with Murder, Conspiracy to Commit Murder, Aggravated Assault, Unlawful Possession of a Weapon, and Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose.
US Marshals JUST arrested Karon Council in Deerfield Beach. Investigators say he shot and killed a 10-year-old in New Jersey last week. They say he is a known member of the “the bloods” gang and came to South Florida to hideout with his girlfriend. @wsvn pic.twitter.com/ohvuu3Or1B
— Brian Entin (@BrianEntin) February 26, 2018
