Fatal Shooting In The Oranges; Cops Arrest New Jersey Man In Virginia

ORANGES, NJ — A West Orange man has been accused of fatally shooting an Orange resident in East Orange, authorities announced Monday.

Darneill Thomas, 22, of West Orange, has been arrested and charged with the murder of Joshua Dessin, 19, of Orange, according to a joint statement from the East Orange Police Department and the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office.

Prosecutors released the following statement about the shooting:

“On Tuesday, March 15 at approximately 10:31 p.m., East Orange police were dispatched to Hilton Street in East Orange, where they discovered Dessin on the ground suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. He was transported to University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 11:22 p.m. Following an investigation by the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide/Major Crimes Task Force and the East Orange Police, Thomas was arrested in Danville, Virginia.”

A police investigation indicated Dessin was with a group of men who were engaged in a dispute with another group of men. It is alleged that Thomas shot Dessin in a “friendly fire’’ incident, prosecutors said.

Thomas was charged with one count of murder, two counts of attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder, unlawful possession of a weapon, and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.

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