Toms River Man Indicted In Double Homicide At Lakewood Apartment

TOMS RIVER, NJ — A Toms River man has been indicted on two counts of murder in the fatal shootings of two men at an apartment complex in Lakewood, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office announced.

Tyshaun Drummond, 39, was indicted on Thursday by an Ocean County grand jury in the deaths of Nicholas Hardy, 36, of Toms River, and Sergio Chavez-Perez, 32, of Lakewood, on Dec. 19, 2021, Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said. Drummond also was indicted on charges of possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, unlawful possession of a weapon, and burglary, Billhimer said.

Police were called to a River Avenue apartment complex about 7:20 a.m. on Dec. 19 for a report of gunshots along with a description of the person who fire the shots, authorities said.

Officers found a man matching the description — later identified as Drummond — in front of the apartment complex and ordered him to lie on the ground, authorities said. Drummond refused to comply, so police used a taser to subdue him, authorities said.

Hardy and Chavez-Perez both were found dead in the apartment, with gunshot wounds to the head, authorities said. Read more: Toms River Man ID'd As Victim In Lakewood Double Homicide

Investigators from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit, Lakewood police and the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit identified Drummond as the person who had shot the two men, Billhimer said.

Drummond has been in the Ocean County Jail since Dec. 21, when he was released from a hospital, authorities said.

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