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TRENTON - Attorney General Anne Milgram announced that a Camden man has been indicted on attempted murder and aggravated assault charges in connection with a December 2007 shooting investigated by the Camden Shoot Team under the CeaseFire program.
The Division of Criminal Justice obtained an indictment charging Eli Holmes, 18, of Alabama Road, Camden, with attempted murder (1st degree), aggravated assault (2nd degree), aggravated assault (3rd degree), possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose (2nd degree), and unlawful possession of a weapon (3rd degree). The indictment was returned by a Camden County grand jury on Aug. 20 and handed up in Superior Court today.
The indictment alleges that Holmes shot a 16-year-old male shortly before midnight on Dec. 8, 2007, in the 800 block of Chelton Avenue in Camden. The shooting allegedly stemmed from a drug dispute. Holmes allegedly fired several shots from a Davis P-380 semi-automatic handgun, hitting the victim in the abdomen and side. The victim was taken by private vehicle to Virtua Hospital before police arrived and later was transferred to Cooper University Hospital. He survived his wounds.
“This case is an outstanding example of how CeaseFire enables law enforcement to solve shootings,” said Attorney General Milgram. “Because the Shoot Team immediately saturated the area with investigators, they were able to obtain statements and secure evidence that might otherwise have been lost. People are more likely to cooperate with police right after a shooting, when their emotions are raw and no one has had a chance to intimidate them. The community outreach component of CeaseFire also encourages cooperation.”
In this case, the Shoot Team was immediately dispatched to the scene, the hospital and other locations to investigate the shooting under the CeaseFire program. The Shoot Team in Camden is made up of detectives and investigators from the New Jersey State Police, the Camden City Police Department and the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office.
As a result of the rapid response, Shoot Team members were able to obtain statements from eyewitnesses and quickly identified Holmes as the alleged shooter. Holmes was arrested the next day at his sister’s house. Soon after the arrest, police seized the gun he allegedly used, with two bullets in the magazine, as a relative carried it from the sister’s house wrapped in clothing in a baby’s car seat.
Holmes is being held in the Camden County Jail in lieu of $350,000 bail.
Deputy Attorney General Kristen Harberg, assigned to the CeaseFire program in Camden, presented the case to the Camden County grand jury.
Attorney General Milgram credited the investigators for their exemplary work, including Investigator Michael Dougherty of the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office, who was lead investigator; Detective Joseph Loschiavo of the New Jersey State Police; and the following officers from the Camden City Police Department: Officer Luis Sanchez, Detective Joe Rivera, Sgt. Frank Ruiz, Officer Dave Richman, Officer Pascual Irizarry, and Officer Charles Holland.
The indictment is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
First-degree crimes carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in state prison and a $200,000 fine, while second-degree crimes carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in state prison and a $150,000 fine. The attempted murder and aggravated assault charges carry a mandatory term of parole ineligibility equal to 85 percent of the sentence imposed. Third-degree crimes carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $15,000 fine.
Under the CeaseFire program, the Shoot Team in Camden responds to all non-fatal shootings within the city limits of Camden, conducting an intensive investigation of each shooting as if it were a homicide. The Camden County Prosecutor’s Office prosecutes most of the resulting cases, while the Division of Criminal Justice within the Attorney General’s Office also handles some cases.
In addition to the law enforcement component, the second crucial component of CeaseFire is community outreach. Trained community outreach workers who have familiarity and connections with the City of Camden visit shooting victims and witnesses and provide support and encouragement for them to work with law enforcement. They also sponsor various community programs aimed at reducing violence and counteracting the “no snitching” mentality which has hampered law enforcement efforts to solve crimes and make Camden safer.
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