Toms River Man Who Fired Assault Weapon Charged

Photo courtesy Ocean County Scanner News

TOMS RIVER – A township man has been charged with disorderly conduct and endangering a person after he allegedly shot off a gun on a normally quiet street earlier this week.

  Toms River Police Department Spokesperson Jillian Messina told Jersey Shore Online that a man armed with a gun fired shots outside a home on Red Cedar Street on January 3 before taking off in a GMC Sierra Pickup Truck. The gun was reported to be an assault rifle, something police confirmed.

 Area residents had reported hearing the sound of gunfire in the area and alerted police.

  Officers responded to Red Cedar Street and their investigation revealed 49-year-old Richard Clifton had fired a semi-automatic rifle into the air and left the scene. He was later located at his storage trailer in Mizzen Avenue in Beachwood.

Photo courtesy Ocean County Scanner News

  Clifton has had prior encounters with police for various offenses dating back to 2008. The gun used in this incident did not belong to him. It did belong to a family member and has been removed from the storage unit.

  There were no injuries reported. 

Ocean County Scanner News was the first to report the incident which the involved police officers from Toms River Beachwood Police and members of the Ocean County Sheriff’s Department to investigate the matter.

An anonymous caller to Jersey Shore Online said that Clifton shot off the gun three times on January 3, not just once as reported. The caller also said they were concerned for their safety. They told us they would be telling the police that fact.