Lakewood Man Indicted On Murder Charge In Fatal Shooting

LAKEWOOD, NJ — A Lakewood man has been indicted on a murder charge in a fatal shooting in February 2021, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office said Wednesday.

Jahvontae Debose, 25, was indicted Wednesday by an Ocean County grand jury in the killing of Dajour Randolph, 20, of Little Egg Harbor, in Lakewood on Feb. 21, 2021, Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said.

Debose was indicted on charges of murder, possession of a firearm for an unlawful purpose, being a certain person not to possess a firearm, possession of a firearm in the course of committing a drug offense, possession of a defaced firearm, possession of hollow nose ammunition, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, and possession of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) with intent to distribute, Billhimer said.

Lakewood police found Randolph in the road with a gunshot wound to the chest about 7:40 p.m. on Feb. 21, 2021, after a 911 call reporting a man collapsed in the middle of the road on Tudor Court, Billhimer said.

Randolph was taken to Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus in Lakewood, where he died.

The Ocean County Medical Examiner ruled the next day following an autopsy that Randolph died of multiple gunshot wounds.

Debose was charged on Feb. 23, 2021, with the weapons and narcotics offenses and was arrested in Pleasantville following a motor vehicle stop that same day. He has been in the Ocean County Jail since then, Billhimer said.

The investigation revealed Debose was responsible for Randolph’s death, and was charged with murder Feb. 25 while he was in jail, Billhimer said.

Supervising Assistant Prosecutor Kristin Pressman and Assistant Prosecutor Victoria Veni are handling the case on behalf of the state.

The Ocean County Prosecutor's Office Narcotics Strike Force, Major Crime, High Tech Crime and Economic Crimes units, the office's Victim Witness Advocacy Unit, Lakewood Township Police, the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit and K-9 Unit, the Ocean County Medical Examiner’s Office, the New Jersey State Police Regional Operations and Intelligence Center, Brick Township Police Department, Manchester Township Police Department, Toms River Township Police Department, Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office, Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, Pleasantville Police Department, and the United States Marshal's Service collaborated in the investigation.

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