FREEHOLD BOROUGH, NJ — The Freehold Public Library will remain closed until further notice following a shooting that took place on Thursday.
At 4:21 p.m. on Thursday, authorities said a shooting took place inside the library on East Main Street that left a male victim suffering from a gunshot wound.
Following this incident, the victim was rushed to a local hospital for treatment, where he was in "critical but stable condition" as of Friday evening.
In an online post from Kathy Mulholland, the director of the Freehold Public Library, Mulholland said that preparing the library for reopening is "taking longer than initially anticipated."
As staff continue to prepare for reopening, Mulholland said the library will be closed until further notice with the understanding that the reopening will occur "as soon as possible."
The library was initially scheduled to reopen on Monday, according to a previous post from the library.
"Don't worry about returning overdue material in the meantime. As you know, the Freehold Public Library doesn't charge late fees anyway (a few exceptions will be waived)," Mulholland said. "Thank you for your continued support and consideration."
In an email sent to Patch on Monday morning, a spokesman for the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office said there are no updates to provide on the shooting at this time.
The incident is currently being investigated by members of the Freehold Borough Police Department and the Major Crimes Bureau of the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office.
“Prosecutor Santiago and Chief Colaner understand how frightening yesterday’s incident was for those in the area," the prosecutor's office said in a statement on Friday. "Our detectives are working around the clock, actively pursuing every lead, and are committed to holding the individuals involved accountable.”
In a statement from Freehold Borough Mayor Kevin Kane, the borough council and municipal administration extended its thanks to Freehold Borough Police, the Prosecutor's Office, the Monmouth County Sheriff's Office and Freehold Township Police for their "support and professionalism" responding to Thursday's incident.
"These law enforcement professionals worked tirelessly over the past 24 hours to keep our community safe and secure as they pursue those involved in the incident," Kane said. "We are deeply grateful for their quick response and determined pursuit of justice."
Anyone with information regarding this incident is urged to contact MCPO Detective Kayla Santiago at 732-431-7160 ext. 3588 or Freehold Borough Police Department Detective Samuel Hernandez at 732-462-1233 ext. 142.
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