Teen Sentenced To 4 Years In Shooting Near Brick Memorial

BRICK, NJ — A Brick Township teenager has been sentenced to four years in prison for his role in the October 2019 shooting of a Brick Memorial student who was walking home from school, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office announced Friday.

Luis Rivas, 17, was sentenced by Superior Court Judge Wendel E. Daniels on the charge of conspiracy to commit aggravated assault, Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said. The four-year sentence is subject to the No Early Release Act.

Rivas pleaded guilty plea on March 6, after he agreed to be prosecuted in adult court, Billhimer said.

Rivas and Alonzo Legrande, 18, of Asbury Park, were identified in connection with the Oct. 22, 2019 shooting that led to a lockdown at Brick Memorial High School and Lanes Mill Elementary School after the injured student ran back to the high school bleeding from a gunshot wound to the shoulder; he was treated at a hospital and recovered.

Legrande and Rivas were identified from video surveillance from homes near the site of the shooting, which happened after school let out. The injured student was walking home with three friends at the time.

The investigation and review of the videos identified Legrande and Rivas as "acting together and in support of one another in carrying out the shooting," the prosecutor's office said. Authorities later determined Legrande fired the gun.

Legrande, who was 17 at the time of the shooting, was arrested Oct. 23 and has been held at the Ocean County Juvenile Detention Center since then. He pleaded guilty in September and is scheduled to be sentenced in November.

"Rivas has been made to answer for his flagrant lawlessness with this four-year prison sentence," Billhimer said. "And soon, Legrande will meet with his fate as well. Violent and out-of-control behavior will not be tolerated in Ocean County, and those who inject fear and chaos into our neighborhoods — regardless of their age — will be prosecuted accordingly."

Read more about the incident:

• 1 Hurt In Drive-By Shooting In Brick: Police
• Shots Near Brick Memorial High School Prompt Police Response
• Brick's Search Continues For Shooter As Students Return To School
• Brick Shooting: See Mayor Call Suspect 'Scum' After 'Scary Day'
• Drive-By, Shooting Near School Linked, Brick Police Confirm
• 17-Year-Old Charged In Shooting Near Brick Memorial
• 2nd Teen Arrested In Shooting Near Brick Memorial

Chief Juvenile Assistant Prosecutor Anthony Pierro and Assistant Prosecutor Madeline Buczynski handled the case on behalf of the state. The following law enforcement agencies were involved in securing the plea: Ocean County Prosecutor's Office Major Crime Unit, High Tech Crime Unit and Victim Witness Advocacy Unit; Brick Township Police Department; Ocean County Sheriff's Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit; Toms River Township Police Department; Lakewood Township Police Department; Bay Head Borough Police Department; Point Pleasant Beach Police Department; Asbury Park Police Department; Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office Major Crime Unit; Monmouth County Emergency Response Team; Monmouth County Sheriff's Office; New Jersey State Police; New Jersey State Police Regional Operations and Intelligence Center; and the United States Marshals Service.

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