Brick teen charged with attempted murder for October shooting near high school

A Brick teenager who was arrested as part of an investigation into the October shooting that occurred near Brick Memorial High School has been charged with four counts of attempted murder.

Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer announced Tuesday that Luis Rivas, 16, was also charged with Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose and Unlawful Possession of a Weapon.

Rivas, who was 16 years old when the crimes occurred, voluntarily waived jurisdiction of the Family Court (which typically handles juvenile delinquency matters) and he agreed to be prosecuted as an adult.

On Tuesday, October 22, Brick Police were directed to Brick Memorial High School around 1:45 pm for a report of a student who had sustained a gunshot wound.

The initial police investigation revealed that a student was walking home from school with three friends when he was shot approximately one-quarter mile away from Brick Memorial High School and he then ran back to the school for help.

As a precaution, Brick Police and school officials locked down the high school as well as neighboring schools before determining there was no immediate danger to students.

The victim was treated at Ocean Medical Center in Brick Township and released.

Detectives from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit, Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office High Tech Crime Unit, Brick Township Police Department, and Ocean County Sheriff’s Department, through their investigation, reviewed video surveillance footage from nearby residences.

That's where they discovered Rivas and a second juvenile acting together and in support of one another in carrying out the shooting.

Rivas was arrested four days later and has been lodged in the Ocean County Juvenile Detention Center since his apprehension.

The second juvenile is likewise lodged in the Juvenile Detention Center, and his matter remains pending in Family Court at present.

From social media rumors swirling the day of the shooting to the investigation itself, police quickly made sure to assures the public that this was an isolated incident while ensuring their safety.

In the November episode of Townsquare Media Jersey Shore's 'Ask The Chief' (which was on WOBM Facebook LIVE), Brick Police Chief James Riccio addressed the investigative side of the incident as well as making sure the correct information was being relayed to the public so panic wouldn't ensue.

"Our initial reports and our initial officers responding believe that we had an active shooter at the school but pretty quickly we determined that the shooting actually happened about a quarter of a mile away from the school and that the person that was struck retreated to the school for assistance," Riccio told WOBM News. "Just as a precaution we treated it as if the shooting happened at the school, so our officers immediately went in, went to the victim and started rendering aid. A systematic search of the school was then conducted."

There were some challenges in the early part of the investigation as police determined what happened and where.

"It was difficult in the fact that there were so many people to interview, so many witnesses but everybody worked well together and we had a lot of resources come in," Riccio said. "When you get a scene that is that large, you want to make sure that you talk with everybody."

Chief Riccio explains more about the police response to the shooting below: