Toms River, NJ, Man Charged in Sunday’s Lakewood Double Murder

A Toms River man is facing two counts of murder in the deaths of two people inside an apartment complex on River Avenue in Lakewood Sunday morning, according to a statement from Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer.

Tyshaun Drummond, 39, of Toms River, was arrested and subsequently charged for allegedly causing the deaths of Nicholas Hardy, 36, of Toms River, and Sergio Chavez-Perez, 32, of Lakewood.

In addition to the two murder charges, Drummond is also facing charges for Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose, Unlawful Possession of a Weapon and Burglary.

Lakewood Police were first to respond to the scene around 7:20 am at the apartment complex after getting reports of shots fired.

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Officers heading to the scene were also proved with a description of a man who fired the shots.

When police got to the scene, they found the man described to them on the way in -- who turned out to be Drummond as he was standing in front of the apartment complex.

As police spotted Drummond, they ordered him to lay on the ground.

Drummond refused to do so and was then subdued by a taser -- Conducted Energy Device.

Police then entered the building where the murders had occurred and found the bodies of Hardy and Chavez-Perez, both of whom had been shot in the head.

Lakewood Police, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office Major Crimes Unit as well as the Ocean County Sheriff's Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit then identified Drummond as the suspect.

Drummond was then brought to a nearby hospital.

While a suspect is in custody, an investigation is just underway as police look into what happened and why.

“The deaths of these two men are senseless and tragic. The responding Lakewood Township Police Officers should be commended for their bravery and their use of less than lethal force in taking Drummond into custody. They prevented a bad situation from getting worse."