Morris County Man Fired Shotgun At Police: Prosecutor

LONG VALLEY, NJ - A 49-year-old Washington Township man has been arrested on weapons charges after firing a shotgun at officers on Monday evening, according to the Morris County Prosecutor's Office.

Shortly after 7 p.m. Washington Township Police responded to a residence located on Rock Road to perform a welfare check after receiving a report there was a suicidal man at the home, police said. While the officers were on scene, Keith O’Connor fired a shotgun at or in their direction, authorities said. The subsequent investigation revealed additional weapons, including an assault firearm and large capacity ammunition magazines, as well as a suspected controlled dangerous substance, were found within O’Connor’s residence, police said.

O’Connor was charged with Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose, a crime of the second degree; Aggravated Assault, a crime of the third degree; Unlawful Possession of a Weapon, a crime of the second degree; Possession of a Prohibited Weapon, a crime of the fourth degree; and Possession of a Controlled Dangerous Substance, a crime of the third degree. He remains in custody and is pending a first appearance in court, police said.

Members of the Washington Township Police Department, the Morris County Sheriff’s Office -Crime Scene Investigations, and the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit all took part in this investigation.

If anyone has any information related to this investigation, they are encouraged to call the Major Crimes Unit of the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office at 973-285-6200, or the Washington Township Police Department at 908-876-8300.

Thanks for reading! Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site. Have a news tip you'd like to share? Or maybe you have a press release you would like to submit or a correction you'd like to request? Send an email to russ.crespolini@patch.com

Subscribe to your local Patch newsletter. You can also have them delivered to your phone screen by downloading, or by visiting the Google Play store.