News release published by Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office:

Today (3/14/17) the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Major Crimes Unit, along with the Ocean County Sheriff’s Department CSI, were dispatched to the Silver Ridge Apartments located at 109 Edgewood Court in Toms River reference a reported police involved shooting.

OCPO’s investigating detectives preliminarily report that at approximately 12:30 pm, two members of the Toms River Police Department were following up on a prior report of a person believed to be in need of professional mental health intervention services. During the course of their investigation a physical altercation took place after making contact with the 56 year old white male subject. That altercation lead to the discharge of a service weapon(s). The male subject was subsequently pronounced deceased. An autopsy by the Ocean County Medical Examiners Office will be conducted and a full report regarding the cause and manner of death will be included in future investigative findings.

At this time the investigation and scene processing are the priority. When all the facts and circumstances surrounding the event are definitively confirmed a full account will be issued to the press by our office. This will not take place today. We ask for your patience and willingness to refrain from soliciting unofficial sources in an effort to rush to judgement.

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Phil Stilton is the Editor and Publisher of Shore News Network, an independent digital newsroom providing original reporting on New Jersey, national news, government, public policy, public safety, courts, and community affairs.

As founder of the publication, Stilton leads editorial strategy, investigative reporting, and daily newsroom operations while overseeing coverage that reaches millions of readers annually.

With extensive experience covering municipal government, county government, state legislatures, elections, law enforcement, emergency management, and public records, Stilton specializes in translating complex government actions into clear, factual reporting. His work frequently relies on primary source documents, including court filings, legislation, public meeting records, election finance disclosures, government databases, police reports, and Freedom of Information and Open Public Records Act (OPRA) requests. He has reported extensively on local government accountability, taxpayer spending, campaign finance, public corruption investigations, infrastructure, public safety, and the policies affecting New Jersey residents.

Under Stilton's editorial leadership, Shore News Network has grown into one of New Jersey's largest independent digital news organizations, publishing thousands of original news articles each year while providing breaking news coverage, investigative reporting, and analysis across state and local government. The publication's reporting is routinely sourced from official government agencies, public officials, court records, and firsthand documentation, with a commitment to transparency, attribution, corrections when warranted, and clearly distinguishing factual reporting from opinion.

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