On the late evening of May 25, 2019, a tragic event unfolded in Somerset, New Jersey, that claimed the life of 25-year-old Dominic J. Frederick. A male resident of Franklin Township, Frederick was driving his vehicle near the Franklin Greens Apartments on Petty Road at approximately 11:05 p.m. when he was fatally shot. Despite being gravely wounded, he continued to drive, ultimately crashing his car into a residence on Foxwood Drive.
Responding to multiple calls about the crash, Franklin
Township Police officers arrived at the scene to find Frederick unconscious behind the wheel. It was upon attempting to render aid that they discovered he had sustained a gunshot wound. Tragically, Dominic J. Frederick was pronounced deceased at the scene. An autopsy later confirmed that his death was a homicide caused by the shooting. There were other passengers in the vehicle with Frederick at the time of the incident, but none of them were injured.
For a year, the investigation into Frederick's murder continued, led by the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office Major Crimes Unit and the Franklin Township Police Department. A significant breakthrough in the case came in June 2020, when two suspects were identified and charged in connection with the homicide. Trey Hyman and Gavin Owens-Jones, both 19 years old at the time, were charged with first-degree murder, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and unlawful possession of a weapon.
Hyman surrendered to the authorities and was arrested, while Owens-Jones was already in custody at the Somerset County Jail on unrelated charges when he was served with the new charges. The motive for the shooting is believed to have stemmed from an ongoing feud between two rival groups of young men. While the arrests brought a measure of progress in the case, the community was left to mourn the violent and untimely death of Dominic J. Frederick.
