911 calls detail chaotic moments after NJ mass shooting: 'There's a lot of people shot'
FAIRFIELD, TWP., New Jersey (WPVI) -- Frantic 911 calls detail the moments after a gunman opened fire in Fairfield Township, New Jersey last weekend, killing three people and injuring 11 others.
"Somebody's here shooting, please get here, please get here," one woman can be heard saying to a 911 dispatcher.
The gunfire erupted while authorities say hundreds were attending a party on E. Commerce Street in Cumberland County around 11:50 p.m.
People started running for their lives immediately after the rapid gunfire rang out.
"There's a lot of people shot," said one woman.
"It's been a lot of girls being shot and my sister is out there and she's pregnant," said another woman.
In the chilling audio, you can hear the dispatcher try to calm frantic callers while also working to determine where the shooting occurred, and how many people were injured.
"How many people are shot? Where are you?" the dispatcher asks one person.
Another woman says she fled to an upstairs room to hide from the shooter.
"I'm upstairs hiding, I'm not trying to get shot," whispered the woman.
Three people have died in the shooting. The victims have been identified as 19-year-old Braylin Holmes, Kevin Elliott, 30, and Asia Hester, 25.
Cumberland County Prosecutor Jennifer Webb-McRae said the wounded victims ranged in age from 19 to 35, included both men and women, and all were Cumberland County residents.
Webb-McRae told Action News there was no update on the case on Thursday. Two men, Kevin Dawkins and Darrell Dawkins, have been arrested on weapons charges in connection with the case. A shooter has not been identified at this time.
Investigators have also not revealed whether the men were related.
On Monday, Kevin Dawkins, 36, was charged with unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose in connection with the shooting.
According to an affidavit of probable cause, Bridgeton police officers found Kevin Dawkins armed with a handgun near the Maplewood Garden Apartments on Sunday morning. He was allegedly found lying down beside a tree with the handgun clutched in his right hand. He was arrested without incident.
Authorities say Kevin Dawkins was in possession of the same handgun while at the party, and that witnesses identified him as holding and discharging the weapon at the property, the document says. However, it's unclear if bullets from his weapon struck anyone at the party.
Darrell Dawkins, 30, of Bridgeton was charged with numerous weapons offenses.
Police allegedly found a handgun inside the truck of his vehicle. Court documents reveal that Darrell Dawkins was the individual who hosted the party at the home. He is not the suspected shooter, state police say.
Multiple firearms and shell casings were recovered from the scene, New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said. He added that the state will be working with federal partners to determine where the guns originated from and whether they can be linked to other recent acts of violence in the area.
Any attendees with information are asked to contact New Jersey State Police at 856-451-0101 or submit a tip to the Cumberland County Prosecutor's Office at njccpo.org/tips.
