This NJ father was gunned down. And teen suspect is too young to face adult justice in NJ
🚨 A 14-year-old has been charged with murder after a fatal park shooting in Mount Holly
👨👧 Victim Andre Ross, 25, was a father; a GoFundMe is raising funeral funds
⚖️ NJ law blocks prosecutors from charging minors under 15 as adults
MOUNT HOLLY — A 14–14-year-old is accused of shooting a young man in the back, killing him in a local park.
Andre Ross, of Mount Holly, was shot once on the evening of Sept. 22, police said.
He died at the scene in Mount Holly’s Mill Dam Park, near Pine Street and Mill Street, where he was found by officers around 5:45 p.m.
The 25-year-old Ross was survived by a daughter and his mother, according to a GoFundMe campaign to help raise funds for funeral expenses.
An autopsy by the Burlington County Medical Examiner found that Ross was killed by that single gunshot wound.
Read More: How will 14-year-old charged in murder of Newark cop be tried?
14-year-old charged with murder in juvenile court
The name of the defendant, a 14-year-old male, cannot be released due to his age, Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia Bradshaw said.
The teen is charged as a juvenile with murder and two weapons possession offenses.
NJ law prevents 14-year-olds from being tried as adults
He is not able to be tried as an adult under state law, which sets the minimum age at 15.
The law, which was signed a decade ago by then-Gov Gov. Chris Christie, received some fresh second thoughts earlier this year after a 14-year-old was arrested in March, accused of shooting and killing 26-year-old Newark Police Det. Joseph Azcona.
That defendant was also charged as a juvenile with murder, attempted murder and weapons offenses.
"I think anyone who attacks and kills a police officer should be tried as an adult. Period. And I would support a change in the law that would allow that," state Attorney General Matthew Platkin previously said during a March news conference.
In the Mount Holly case, the teen was being held in Ocean County on Thursday, pending a hearing in Burlington County Superior Court.
The investigation was by the Prosecutor’s Office and Mount Holly Township Police, with assistance from State Police and the Burlington County Sheriff’s Office.
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