In the early moments of July 10, 2015, the quiet of an Eatontown, New Jersey neighborhood was shattered by the sound of gunfire. Just after midnight, police responded to reports of shots fired at the Country Club Apartments, located at the corner of Tilton Avenue and Country Club Road. There, they discovered 37-year-old Rasheem Palmer, a Black male, lying wounded in the road. Emergency medical services were quickly called, and Palmer was rushed to Jersey Shore University Medical Center. Despite life-saving efforts, he was pronounced dead at 2:47 a.m.
The investigation into Palmer's death was a joint effort between the Eatontown Police Department and the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office. For nearly a year and a half, detectives worked to piece together the events of that fatal night. Their persistence ultimately led to the identification of two suspects.
In December 2016, authorities announced the arrests of 20-year-old Frederick Reed of New Castle, Delaware, and 30-year-old Perry Veney of Long Branch, New Jersey. Reed was taken into custody in Delaware and awaited extradition to New Jersey, while Veney turned himself in to the police.
Both Reed and Veney were charged with first-degree murder and second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose. Veney faced an additional charge of certain persons not to have a weapon. Bail was set at $1.1 million for Reed and $1.2 million for Veney. In March 2017, a Monmouth County grand jury handed up an indictment against both men for murder and conspiracy to commit murder, moving their case closer to trial. The charges carried the potential for a sentence of 30 years to life in prison.
