57 Shots Fired At Somerset Homes, 1 Injured, 2 Arrested: Police

SOMERSET, NJ — Two Somerset men were charged in connection with two separate shootings where a total of about 60 gunshots were fired at two township homes in December 2019. One of the shootings was caught on a neighbor's Ring.com video on the Neighbors app.

Rome Cruz, 20, of Holly Street, in Somerset and Christopher Williams, 23, of Victoria Drive, in Somerset were arrested on Wednesday after they were found to be involved in the shootings on Dec. 30, 2019 on Barker Road and on Dec. 31, 2019 on King Road in Somerset.

At about 4:30 a.m. on Dec. 30 detectives from the Franklin Township Police Department and the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit found that about 27 shots were fired at a home on Barker Road that had a resident inside at the time. No injuries were reported during this shooting incident, Robertson said.

A resident shared a video on the Neighbors app reporting the shots on Barker Road. Multiple gunshots can be heard around 12 seconds into the video.

The second shooting was reported at around 2:30 a.m. on Dec. 31 where detectives from the Franklin Township Police Department and the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit found that about 30 shots were fired at a home on King Road, striking a man inside the home in his leg. The victim was treated and released at an area hospital with non-life threatening injuries, Robertson said.

Cruz and Williams were each charged with two counts of first-degree attempted murder and one count of second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose. Williams was also charged with third-degree resisting arrest.

Cruz and Williams are at the Somerset County Jail pending a bail detention hearing in this matter.

Anyone with information relating to these shootings is asked to contact the Somerset County Prosecutors Office Major Crimes Unit at 908-231-7100 or the Franklin Township Police Department at 732-873-5533 or via the STOPit app. The STOPit app allows citizens to provide anonymous reports including videos and photos. STOPit can be downloaded to your smart phone for free at the Google Play Store or Apple App Store, access code: SOMERSETNJ.

Information can also be provided through the Somerset County Crime Stoppers’ Tip Line at 1-888-577-TIPS (8477). All anonymous STOPit reports and Crime Stopper tips will be kept confidential.

• See Related: 4 Teens Arrested In Fatal New Year's Eve Shooting In Franklin
• Related: Gunshots Heard On Video: 3 Shootings, 1 Death In Somerset

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