At a family gathering in Cumberland on Saturday, a Bridgetown man was charged in connection with a mass shooting that killed two people and injured twelve others.

State and local law enforcement officials said at a press conference on Monday that Kevin K. Dawkins, 36, was detained on Sunday and charged with four counts of weapons. He was held in Cumberland County Prison.

Three expenses- Illegal possession of weapons, certain people without weapons and possession of weapons for illegal purposes-is a secondary crime. The other charge-illegal possession of a large-capacity magazine-is a fourth-level crime.

Officials said that as the investigation progresses, more people are expected to be arrested.They described shootingIt happened at the birthday party in Fairfield Town, Called “targeted attack”.

they Two deaths were identified, 30-year-old Kevin Elliott and 25-year-old Asia Hester. They are all from Bridgetown.

The police said that in order to protect their privacy and the early stages of the investigation, the names of the 12 injured were not released. They said the victims included men and women between the ages of 19 and 35 in Cumberland County.

Officials said the victims of minor injuries have been released from the district hospital, but several of them are still in critical condition.

Officials said that hundreds of people were believed to have attended the gathering when the guns sounded, but by the time law enforcement officers arrived, most of the attendees had fled.

Governor Phil Murphy said: “Birthday parties should be a joyous event, not a target for diehards who cause harm to the community.”

A general stopped the motor vehicle at around 11:30 p.m. and heard what is believed to be fireworks or gunfire, and was the first person to respond to the scene.Other state police arrived around 11:50 p.m.

Many guns and shells were recovered at the scene.residence In the 1000 block of East Commerce Street, Located in woodland near the cemetery, church and school.

Saturday morning, pOlice responded to a noise complaint at another family gathering in Fairfield. Officials said it is believed that some of the attendees later attended the gathering for the shooting.

The shooting motive is still under investigation. Officials said that witnesses are being interviewed, search warrants are being executed, and forensic and digital evidence are being collected and analyzed.

Murphy said: “What we saw in Fairfield is a microcosm of the scale of gun violence. This is what we have seen in other states and other parts of the country.” “We are in such a horror scene that has almost become us. Moments as part of daily life. It has become commonplace. If there is one thing we can never normalize, it is meaningless gun violence.”

Attorney General Gurbir Grewal added: “We can and must continue to solve this problem.” “We must treat it like a public health crisis. We recognize that we must also address violent At the same time, we must act quickly against those who violate the law. Although we have made significant progress in our new efforts in Jersey, incidents like the shooting on Saturday remind us that we must go far.”

If anyone asks for any information, please call (856) 451-0101 to contact the New Jersey State Police in Bridgetown, or provide tips by: Cumberland County Attorney’s Office. The investigation was led by the New Jersey State Police and the Cumberland County Attorney’s Office.