Brooklyn Man Found Guilty Of Aggravated Assault & Weapons Offenses

Saturday, September 13, 2025, 6:45 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,

FREEHOLD, NJ.- A 51-year-old Brooklyn, New York, man will be facing over a century in New Jersey State Prison when sentenced in October, after being convicted for the August 2023 shooting of a man and a woman in Freehold Borough, New Jersey.

     According to Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago, following a nearly two-week trial in Monmouth County Superior Court before Superior Court Judge Joseph W. Oxley, a jury found Damian Bell, 51, of Brooklyn, New York, guilty of two counts of second-degree Aggravated Assault, along with three Related Weapons offenses, including one first-degree and two second-degree.

Sentencing Has Been Scheduled For October 2025

     Following the jury returning their findings of guilt, Judge Oxley accepted the verdict and scheduled sentencing for Thursday, October 16, 2025. At that time, Bell faces a term of up to 60 years in New Jersey State Prison.

     The conviction stems from an investigation that began on Friday, August 25, 2023, when, at around 7:15 a.m., members of the Freehold Borough Police Department responded to reports of a shooting at a residence located on Center Street in the Borough. Upon arrival, Police Officers discovered two victims, a man and a woman, both suffering from gunshot wounds. Both the man and the woman were transported to an area hospital for treatment of their injuries.

Subsequent Investigation Determines Bell Shot Both Victims

     During the ensuing investigation, Detectives of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Bureau and the Freehold Borough Police Department determined that Bell had gotten involved in a verbal argument that turned physical with the male shooting victim. Bell then retrieved a handgun from the second floor of the home, returned downstairs, and fired shots, striking both victims, including the woman who was attempting to run away while carrying her young child.

     Following the shooting, Bell fled from the residence before responding Police Officers arrived. Bell was later located and taken into custody in Rowan County, North Carolina, in March 2024.