Vigil planned in wake of murder

Keith Mason shot to death in home, was LBHS star athlete

BY CHRISTINE VARNO Staff Writer

BY CHRISTINE VARNO
Staff Writer

Keith Mason was shot and killed on Dec. 14 at his home on Second Avenue. Keith Mason was shot and killed on Dec. 14 at his home on Second Avenue. Plans are being made for a march/vigil to call attention to acts of violence in Long Branch in the wake of the third murder in the city in four months.

“I really think the time to stop being quiet is now,” said resident Tonya Badillo.

“I want to sit down and organize a march or a candle vigil,” she said, adding, “It should be to honor those that we have lost.”

Badillo is calling on the community to take a public stand against violence in the city and is planning the event for Jan. 15.

“This is three dead in Long Branch this year,” said Badillo after hearing the news of the most recent shooting in the city last week.

On Dec. 14, the Long Branch Police Department responded to a Second Avenue home at 3 p.m. after receiving a 911 call about a shooting, Monmouth County Prosecutor Luis Valentin said Friday.

Keith T. Mason, 28, a former student and star athlete at Long Branch High School, was identified as the victim who was shot and killed that afternoon in his home, according to Valentin.

An autopsy on Dec. 15 concluded that Mason died as a result of injuries sustained from gunshot, according to Valentin, who declined to comment on how many shots were fired at the scene.

As of Friday evening, no arrests had been made in the case, Valentin said.

The Long Branch High School athletic director remembers Mason as a “gentle giant.”

“He was a marvelous kid,” Charles B. Ferrara said this week about Mason, who he said was a “phenomenal” wrestler and football player and a member of the school’s track and field team.

“He was just a big, caring guy and a very, very good kid,” Ferraro said. “He went to the state championships for wrestling and was one of the top guys.”

In the aftermath of Mason’s death, Badillo said she is frightened.

“There are guns and the willingness to use them is scary,” said Badillo, who established an anti-gang, anti-violence program for city youth based out of her Long Branch home.

“To prevent this kind of lifestyle is why we started Team Jump Off,” Badillo said.

“And that is why I would like to see everyone come together as a collaboration and plan an event to address this,” she said.

Badillo has set a tentative date of Jan. 15 to hold a Sunday night vigil with the theme, “Remembering those we lost last year and preventing lives from being lost in the new year.”

She is asking any residents, agencies, officials, relatives and friends of the victims to contact her at [email protected]. to help plan the event.

“I can’t do this alone,” she said. “I am asking anyone and everyone to help.”

Another resident, Lorenzo “Bill” Dangler, president of the Greater Long Branch Chapter of the NAACP, has spoken out on the recent murders in the city.

“This is no reflection of the police department,” Dangler said at the Nov. 28 council meeting after the second murder occurred in the city.

“I am not saying you are not doing your job,” he said. “We still have concerns. It is not safe.

“I am not saying Long Branch is the worst town in the world, but there are things we need to do.

“We need federal help to come up in here and [help]with the gangs,” Dangler said.

The Prosecutor’s Office, in conjunction with the Long Branch Police Department, is conducting an investigation into the Mason murder case.

Valentin said that his office has not ruled out gang activity related to the crime.

“In a homicide case, it is our responsibility to explore reasonable areas to make a determination,” Valentin said. “We are examining all evidence and all leads.”

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Detective Barry Dubrowsky, lead detective in the investigation, at 1-800-533-7443.

“We are doing numerous things to address violence in our communities,” Valentin said. “We are working with local law enforcement officials. We are working with state and federal law enforcement officials.

“We are asking for the public’s assistance, “Valentin said, adding, “We need residents as well as community leaders.”

The Prosecutor’s Office is still actively investigating the murder of Michael Montgomery, 27, who was shot and killed on Nov. 21 at the intersection of Johns Street and Hendrickson Avenue, according to Valentin.

And an arrest was made in the city’s first homicide case this year when Herbert Hoover Lambert Bell, 30, was shot and killed on Aug. 19 on Division Street.

Badillo said she wants to see a change in Long Branch.

“I believe [these crimes] stem from poverty and other problems and are coming out of hopelessness,” she said.

“This is our community. This is where I live every day. You can’t bring these lives back. This is real.

“Our kids are afraid to walk down the street after school and they shouldn’t be,” Badillo said.

“I know that the Long Branch Police Department is doing all they can,” Badillo said. “I honor policemen and respect them. And I know the schools are doing everything they can. But more options can be explored.”

Badillo said she would like to see more police sub-stations throughout the city and a heavier police presence on the streets.

“I see strong police presence in Pier Village and they are not getting homicides over there,” she said.

“Our community is hurting and then you look across Ocean Boulevard and you see million dollar homes.” Badillo said, “It adds to the hostility and hopelessness.”

Dangler also made some recommendations at the November council meeting.

“Can we get a sub-station,” he asked, “video cameras in hot-areas?

“There are other things we can do. We can stop … keeping this quiet. I don’t mean to expose it. But these boys are setting up shop.”

Long Branch Director of Public Safety William Richards said this week that the city’s police department will take into consideration all suggestions to help prevent violence.

“We welcome all suggestions,” Richards said. “We are sure they are well-intended.

“This is a relatively small town,” he said, adding, “We have attempted to utilize sub-stations in the past with limited success.

“The Hendrickson Avenue shooting was in close proximity to police headquarters [on Broadway]. That would seem to mitigate against the crime,” Richards said.

But with three victims so far this year, Richards said it speaks to a broader, national issue.

“These are very difficult crimes to prevent,” he said. We have re-deployed manpower to areas of significant concern and we have reallocated resources to address these concerns,” Richards said.

Badillo said a vigil or a march is just the beginning of the measures needed to help city youth.

“My job now is to find out why these kids feel they need to join the gangs and why they feel so helpless,” she said.