An Old Bridge man was charged on Christmas Eve with shooting a 32-year-old Somerset man just two nights before.
Tennyson D. Fairclough, 37, was charged on Dec. 24 by Aberdeen Township police with two counts of first-degree attempted murder, second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon and second-degree certain persons not to possess a weapon for allegedly shooting the man on Dec. 22, according to a statement released by Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni.
Aberdeen police responded to a report of shots fired at the Masonic Lodge in the township around 9:53 p.m., police said. Upon their arrival, officers were initially unable to locate a victim. A local hospital, however, subsequently notified police that a gunshot victim was being treated at its facility, and officers responded and spoke to the victim, according to the statement. The victim was treated at the hospital for non-life threatening injuries and was later released.
An ensuing investigation revealed that Fairclough had allegedly approached a car occupied by the male victim as well as a female known to both men and began firing a handgun, striking the male, according to police.
Both victims fled and the male victim went to the hospital for medical attention, while Fairclough allegedly pursued the female victim, attempting to shoot at her again. The female victim escaped uninjured, and Fairclough fled the area, according to reports.
Fairclough was being held on $1.5 million bail with no option to post 10 percent, as of press time, as set by Monmouth County Superior Court Judge David F. Bauman, who also ordered Fairclough to have no contact with his victims and not to return to the scene of the crime, according to the statement.
If convicted of attempted murder, Fairclough faces a sentence of up to 20 years in a New Jersey state prison on each count, subject to the provisions of the “No Early Release Act,” requiring he serve 85 percent of the sentence imposed before he is eligible for parole, according to Gramiccioni.
If convicted on the other charges, the maximum potential custodial sentence for each charge is a state prison term of 10 years, and pursuant to the “Graves Act” there is a mandatory period of parole ineligibility of one half of the custodial sentence imposed, or 42 months, whichever is greater, according to the statement.
Anyone with any information should call Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office Detective Kevin Condon at 1-800-533-7443 or Aberdeen Township Police Department Detective Anthony Valentino at 732-566-2054.
The case is assigned to Monmouth County Assistant Prosecutor Matthew Bogner.