Police, Fire & Courts

Brick Teen Charged With Attempted Murder in Shooting Near Brick Memorial HS

by
Daniel Nee
March 3, 2020

Police block off Lanes Mill Road near Brick Memorial High School, Oct. 22, 2019. (Photo: Daniel Nee)

A 16-year-old Brick boy has voluntarily waived his right to be prosecuted in family court and will now stand trial for attempted murder as an adult stemming from the Oct. 22, 2019 shooting that took place along Lanes Mill Road as students walked home from Brick Memorial High School.

For the first time, the identity of the suspect has been divulged. Charged is Luis Rivas, 16, who is facing accusations of attempted murder, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and unlawful possession of a weapon.

On Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2019 at approximately 1:45 p.m., Brick Township police were called to Brick Memorial High School for a report of a student who had sustained a gunshot wound. The call led to lockdowns of other schools and streets in the Herbertsville section being cordoned off for hours.

The ensuing investigation revealed that the victim – another student, sources confirmed – was walking home from school with three friends when he was shot approximately one-quarter mile away from Brick Memorial; he then ran back to the school for help.

As a precaution, Brick Township Police and school officials locked down the high school as well as neighboring schools before determining there was no immediate danger to students. The victim was treated at Ocean Medical Center in Brick Township and released.

Police block off Lanes Mill Road near Brick Memorial High School, Oct. 22, 2019. (Photo: Daniel Nee)

Detectives from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit, Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office High Tech Crime Unit, Brick Township Police Department, and Ocean County Sheriff’s Department, through their investigation, reviewed video surveillance footage from nearby residences.

“The video surveillance depicted Rivas and a second juvenile acting together and in support of one another in carrying out the shooting,” a statement from prosecutors said Tuesday.

Rivas was apprehended on Oct. 26, 2019, and has been lodged in the Ocean County Juvenile Detention Center since his apprehension. The second juvenile is likewise lodged in the Juvenile Detention Center, and his matter remains pending in Family Court at present.