Wildwood shooting outside bar leaves 1 in critical condition, police searching for suspect
UPDATE: A suspect in the shooting is now in custody.
WILDWOOD, N.J. (CBS) -— Police have identified a man they claim critically wounded a bystander in a shooting outside a bar in Wildwood on Tuesday night. An arrest warrant has been issued for William Hoyle, according to Wildwood police.
The shooting happened around 10:30 p.m. outside the Cattle 'n Clover bar in the 3800 block of Pacific Avenue near Spicer Avenue.
Investigators said a woman, who was not the intended target, was hit in the head and rushed to AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center in Atlantic City, where she remains in critical condition.
CBS News Philadelphia confirmed the victim is an international student in Wildwood working at Morey's Piers.
"We are a family, and we are working to provide support to our employee and her family during this incredibly challenging time. The news has deeply affected all of us, and we are committed to doing everything in our power to assist her and her loved ones," Morey's Piers vice president Denise Beckson said in a statement.
Police are still searching for Hoyle.
According to an affidavit of probable cause, Hoyle fired a gun toward his intended target, a man who authorities have not identified.
"Hoyle was observed running after the victim, [redacted], while firing multiple rounds at him," the document says.
The clothes Hoyle was seen wearing during the shooting were later found in a recycling bin behind a building on Pacific Avenue.
Detectives also obtained surveillance video from Pasta Pesto, a restaurant at Spicer and Atlantic avenues, showing Hoyle putting a handgun into a sewer drain near the scene.
Investigators later pulled a Polymer80 handgun with a high-capacity magazine from the drain.
Hoyle was also prohibited from possessing a handgun due to a prior criminal record, the document states.
"Our priority at this time is ensuring the safety of the community and bringing the perpetrator to justice," Cape May County Prosecutor Jeffrey Sutherland and City of Wildwood Police Chief Joseph Murphy wrote in a news release.
Signs on the Cattle 'n Clover's windows Wednesday afternoon encouraged anyone who left items inside to call them.
Any Jimanyan, an international student working as a lifeguard this summer in Wildwood, told CBS News Philadelphia she was in her room when she heard two loud sounds.
"I understood that it's gunshots," Jimanyan said.
When Jimanyan looked out her window from her apartment across the street, she claimed she saw two men running away.
"Yeah, I was scared," Jimanyan said. "Like it's my first time hearing gunshots, so we don't have that in my country."
Christina McKinstry said she comes here often but was on the boardwalk when the shooting happened.
"I'm just tired of it. I live down here," McKinstry said. "I'm a local and I want to be able to safely go to bars, safely take my children places and I just feel like I'm not able to do that anymore. I just would like answers. I think we all would."
Wildwood police and the Cape May County Prosecutor's Office said the shooting remains an active investigation. Anyone who witnessed the shooting or knows about Hoyle's whereabouts is urged to call police at 609-522-0222 or the prosecutor's office at 609-465-1135. Anonymous tips can be submitted at cmcpo.tips or on the Cape May County Sheriff's website, cmcsheriff.net.
