Crime & Safety

Paterson Man Charged With Bound Brook Murder

The Paterson man is charged with the murder of William Roberts, 27, who was shot to death outside his Church Street home in Bound Brook.

BOUND BROOK, NJ — A Paterson man, who allegedly shot and killed a Bound Brook resident on the borough streets, was arrested Tuesday.

Michael Washington, 27, was charged with first-degree murder, second-degree possession of a firearm for an unlawful purpose, second-degree possession a firearm without a permit to carry, Somerset County Prosecutor Michael H. Robertson announced.

Washington was arrested Tuesday around 11 a.m. after detectives responded to a Cherry Street home in Bound Brook where they found Washington trying to flee through a back door, Robertson said.

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He was immediately taken into custody without incident.

The alleged murder occurred on Oct. 16 around 6:23 p.m. after numerous 911 calls reported shots being fired in the area of Church Street and East Second Street in Bound Brook, Robertson said.

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Police responded and found William Roberts, 27, a resident of Church Street in Bound Brook suffering from a gunshot wound to his torso.

He was transported to a local trauma center and rushed into emergency surgery where he later died from his injuries, Robertson said.

The shooting was established as an isolated incident and that Roberts was the intended target, Robertson said.

The investigation, conducted by detectives from the Bound Brook Police Department and the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit, revealed that Washington was responsible for shooting Roberts.

After processing at Bound Brook Police headquarters, Washington was remanded to the Somerset County Jail pending a detention hearing.

(Image via Somerset County Prosecutor's Office: Michael Washington, 27, of Paterson)

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