Somerville Man Shot In Butt By Accomplice Who Is Still At Large

SOMERVILLE, NJ — A Somerville man, who was shot in the butt by his accomplice, was arrested and charged in connection to a shooting in Somerville and what was originally thought to be another shooting in Franklin Township on Thursday.

Azikwa D.Rustin, 30, of Mechanic Street, Somerville was charged with first degree attempted murder, second degree possession of a firearm, second degree unlawful possession of a firearm and second degree certain persons prohibited from possessing or controlling a firearm, according to Somerset County Prosecutor Michael H. Robertson.

Somerville Police responded to a call of shots fired in the area of Third Street and Center Street in Somerville on Thursday at around 4:15 p.m. Police located the scene of the shooting and learned that Rustin had been taken to Robert Wood Johnson-Somerset for treatment of a gunshot wound.

• See Related: Shootings Reported In Somerville And Franklin

Shortly after the shooting, a man called Franklin Police and said he had been shot while in Somerville. Franklin Police found the 26-year-old Easton, Pennsylvania victim on Easton Avenue and later transported to an area trauma center for emergency treatment on a non-life threatening gunshot wound to his leg.

It was found that the Pennsylvania victim was driving a motor vehicle in the area of Third Street and Center Street in Somerville when he was approached by two unknown men who opened fire on him while he was seated inside his vehicle, according to an investigation by Somerville Detectives, detectives from the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit and Franklin Township Police.

Rustin was identified as one of the men who opened fire on the vehicle and its driver, Robertson said.

Rustin was found to have been shot in the butt by his accomplice during the event. The second shooter is still at large, Robertson said.

Preliminary investigation results show that the victim may have been mistaken for another individual.

Rustin is under police guard at an area hospital. Once he is released, he will be transported and lodged in the Somerset County Jail without bail pending a detention hearing.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office
Major Crimes Unit at 908-231- 7100, the Somerville Borough Police Department at 908-725-0331, or the Somerset County Crime Stoppers’ Tip Line at 1-888- 577-TIPS (8477) or online at www.888577tips.org or www.scpo.net and click on either “Crime Stoppers” or “TIPS HOTLINE”. All calls will be kept confidential.

(Image via Somerset County Prosecutor's Office: Azikwa D.Rustin, 30, of Mechanic Street, Somerville)

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