A 39-year-old Douglasville, Georgia man faces charges of attempted murder and kidnapping after an August 21 incident at a township hotel, in which he allegedly held a woman and her two children at gunpoint before shooting her when she tried to escape.
Police received a 9-1-1 call reporting a shooting at the unnamed Worlds Fair Drive hotel at about 1:25 a.m., according to a press release from the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office.
Responding officers found a 37-year-old woman who had been shot in her hip and a foot, the release said. The victim was treated for her injuries by township police and emergency medical personnel, and taken to an areas hospital, where she is expected to recover from her injuries.
The woman told police who shot her, and that she knew him, according to the release.
The man was arrested without incident, police said.
Police said the man and woman were in a hotel room, with her tow children, when the man became “irate and threatening” to the woman after allegedly drinking alcohol.
The man at one point brandished a handgun and held teh woman and her two children in the hotel room for more than an hour, police said.
The woman told police that she was able to escape the room, but t he man chased her and shot her.
Police were able to find a handgun, according to the release.
The man was charged with 1st Ddegree Attempted Murder, 1st Degree Kidnapping, 2nd Degree Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose, 2nd Degree Unlawful Possession of a Weapon, and 2nd Degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child, according to the release.
The suspect remained lodged in Somerset County Jail, Somerville, as of August 22.
Police ask that anyone with information relating to the shooting contact the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit at (908) 231-7100 or the Franklin Township Police Department at (732) 873-5533 or via the STOPit app. The STOPit app allows citizens to provide anonymous reports including videos and photos. STOPit can be downloaded to your smart phone for free at the Google Play Store or Apple App Store, access code: SOMERSETNJ. Information can also be provided through the Somerset County Crime Stoppers’ Tip Line at 1-888-577-TIPS (8477). All anonymous STOPit reports and Crime Stopper tips will be kept confidential.