Two suspects were arrested over the weekend after they were accused of accidentally shooting a 17-year-old Mt. Laurel resident.
At 11:16 p.m. on Saturday night, Mt. Laurel Police responded to a residence on the 3300 block of Marne Highway for the report of a man with a gunshot wound. Officers located a 17-year-old township resident with a single gunshot wound to the chest. The victim initially reported that he was sitting on his porch when he was shot by an unknown masked suspect who then ran off. The victim was transported to Cooper Hospital where his wound was determined to non-life threatening.
While searching the area officers located two male suspects on foot. They were identified as an 18-year-old Mt. Laurel man and a 17-year-old male from Trenton. Investigators eventually determined that both were with the victim in his residence. They were handling a handgun that the two had brought with them. The gun discharged striking the victim in the chest. The two fled the residence with the gun prior to police arrival.
Two handguns were recovered from a vehicle belonging to the Mt. Laurel man that was parked in a nearby parking lot. The 18-year-old was charged with possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and unlawful possession of a firearm. Bail was set at $50.000 with no 10 percent option and he was committed to the Burlington County Jail. The 17-year-old suspect was charged with aggravated assault, possession of a weapon for unlawful purpose and unlawful possession of a firearm. He was committed to the Burlington County Juvenile Detention Center.