Man shot dead by Brick police used handgun before confrontation, investigators say

The gun-wielding man fatally shot by Brick Township police officers early Sunday had touched off several rounds, and his intended victims locked themselves in a bedroom before help arrived, according to Ocean County investigators.

Keyshawn Wilson, 32, was armed with a loaded, six-inch handgun and had attacked two women in the Meridian Drive house, prompting the police response that led to the shooting, according to witness accounts and forensic evidence gathered by investigators from the office of Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph D. Coronato.

According to authorities, Brick police fielded seven 911 calls from neighbors at about 5:33 AM Sunday - six reporting a domestic disturbance, and one reporting a domestic assault. Four officers responded, and investigators believe that all four opened fire in the confrontation with Wilson.

Wilson's identity is the only one that has been officially released. A 31-year-old woman and her 59-year-old mother were injured in the attacks that triggered the flurry of 911 calls. Both were treated at Brick Hospital. No officers were injured, but all were given hospital evaluations.

Also in the house were the injury victim's sister, also 31, and her children, aged 11, 7 and 11 months.

Investigators believe that the 31-year-old woman was attacked first, suffering head, eye and body lacerations and contusions, plus more injuries in a fall down a flight of stairs as she rushed away from Wilson. Her mother sustained head injuries while trying to aid the victim.

The mother, daughter, sister and three children barricaded themselves in a lower-floor bedroom, and the 31-year-old who was injured climbed through a window to run to a neighbor's house for help, investigators said.

The Prosecutor's Office plans to release more information upon confirmation of details. Brick Township police have not indicated whether the officers have been reassigned.