Prosecutor: Cops Seized NJ Mall Shooting Gun, Then Returned It
This is sure to raise questions about why prone to violence — even, or maybe especially, with a sibling — should be allowed to have a gun in the first place. I know, I know: second amendment standyergroundFREEEEEDOM!!!
The rifle used in a Monday night shooting incident at the Garden State Plaza mall in Paramus was seized by Bergen County authorities earlier this year after a fight between the alleged shooter and his brother, and then returned to the family months later, prosecutors said.
The weapon, which was legally registered to the brother, Kevin Shoop, also may not have been properly secured when Richard Shoop, 20, of Teaneck, took it from the family home Monday night, walked into the mall and opened fire, according to Bergen County Prosecutor John Molinelli. …
The gun was taken from the Shoop family home earlier this year, after Richard Shoop and his older brother Kevin were involved in a violent altercation over the weapon on New Year’s Day, Molinelli said on Tuesday night.
Kevin Shoop allegedly struck his younger brother during the incident, and was charged with simple assault, according to Molinelli, who described the weapon as an assault rifle.
The weapon was seized at that time, but the charges against Kevin Shoop were dismissed in Teaneck Municipal Court in May, Molinelli said. During court proceedings, Richard Shoop said “there was no domestic violence incident between he and his brother,” according to Molinelli. …
“We don’t think it was properly secured,” Molinelli wrote in an e-mail Tuesday night.
Gee! Ya think?
(Hat tip: Susie Madrak)
