EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS: The trial for the man suspected of shooting Lakewood Police Officers in a gun battle in 2009, got underway this morning in Toms River.
Jaime Gonzalez, pictured in the Courthouse this morning, is accused of starting a gun battle which left 5 officers injured – four whom suffered gunshot wounds.
Prosecutor Michael Paulhus said Gonzalez was well aware that the men who entered his home were police officers, because of the markings on their vests and sleeves, and deliberately opened fire at them.
Despite friendly fire which injured at least one of the officers as a result of the gun battle which ensued, Prosecutors say Gonzalez triggered those events, and should be sentenced for the blatant attempt on the Officers’ lives.
And despite officers yelling ‘”Police, Police drop your weapon”, Gonzalez cursed at the officers and continued shooting off rounds, the Prosecutor said.
The stolen handgun used in the attack on the officers, was found near the injured Gonzalez, who was waiting at the top of the stairs when police knocked down the door to his MacKenzie Court home.
The defense attorney, Robert Ward, argued, that Gonzalez was unable to hear the officers because of the loud noises from the approximately 140 rounds shot during the gun battle, and that smoke rising from the bullets made it difficult for him to see the police.
Following the opening arguments, the witnesses began taking the stand, in what is expected to be a 2-week trial.
Gonzalez, 40, faces 34 counts including attempted murder and aggravated assault for each of the officers involved in the raid, several drug offenses and weapons charges.
Each Attempted Murder charge and first degree Drug Charge carries a 20 year prison sentence. TLS.
No video?
“The defense argued, that Gonzalez was unable to hear the officers because of the loud noises from the approximately 140 rounds shot during the gun battle, and that smoke rising from the bullets made it difficult for him to see the police”
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I’m glad that the defense has nothing stronger to offer than this nonsense.
If i am not mistaken your story here is incorrect. Other new outlets all report that all of these injuries were in fact police-inflicted. They were shooting at each other. However, the prosecutor is blaming the defendant for those injuries stating that he was the one who started the gun battle. I don’t take sides but let’s make sure we are all given correct information to this horrific event.
guy is innocent! Leave the poor man alone.
all you guys talk without know HIS A GOOD MAN & you guys know the real deal so just keep your comments to yourslef & show RESPECT for his family
What about the families of the officers shot?? What about them? If he was such a good man why would he fire on the officers? If he knew he was wrong he should have just surrendered not Blasted them while they were coming up the stairs?
If you say he was a good man, well he didnt show it that night. He injured 2 and could have injured a lot more…GOOD MEN dont do that
Again learn your facts the injuries the cops had were from other officers and if you sat at the trail today you would of heard the facts and it was proven that the first shot came from a cop
He should spend the rest of his life in jail and never see the sunlight again ! people have to realize that if u live a life of guns and drugs you will get caught and pay for it !
#7 those were not the facts I was in court today.
Still a sad situation and lives were destroyed from the events of this incident. .
As reported by tls before “The suspect was tipped off about the raid after police arrested another suspect in the case earlier” and he knew they were police and he waited for them… He should never see the green grass again
Its beyond me how everyone assumes they know the story. Sno Guy dont condemn or convict someone without knowing what really happened. I feel and pray for the officers hurt in this horrific situation and for their families but Jaime is also human and not perfect and deserves to be proven innocent or guilty. He may be guilty of many things as we all are but he is not a murderer. May the good Lord and his angels be by his side.
Thank you lovebear and Mr. Howell did you know him personally to know the life he lived…
IT TOOK 4 YEARS TO GET THIS TRIAL STARTED? WHAT DOES THIS TELL YOU? NOT ENOUGH EVIDENCE TO CONVICT THIS FELLOW WITH NO PRIOR CONVICTIONS OF ANYKIND OF DRUGS OR GUNS – SO MANY LIFE’S CHANGED – THIS WOULD OF NOT HAPPENED IF THE LAKEWOOD POLICE DEPARTMENT HAD SOLID EVIDENCE THAT THIS JAIME GONZALEZ WUZ NOT THE SO CALLED “GUN DEALER” AND “DRUG LORD” THEY THOUGHT HE WAS – KNOW THE FACTS!!!
You just gotta love this. I mean why are we all jumping on this poor soul? He’s such an angel, I mean there is an angel of death, isn’t there? Poor guy probably had such a rough life because we all discriminated against him and his people after they snuck into this country. He didn’t have a “muster zone” to wait for work. The least we could’ve done was just to overlook his “business dealings”. After all, he didn’t even have a Parnassah Expo to go to! But what do we terrible Americans do, we send in a dozen heavily armed officers. He felt back at home and naturally “defended” himself. Case closed. Enough “respect”, “lovebear”? I think I should be on the jury. Oh, and Nancy, I too “feel and pray” for your sweet angel.
I don’t understand the rush to condemn the guy. Guys barge into your house, what would you do? And if he is in fact a drug dealer, it is certainly understandable that he thought it was one of his ‘friends’ or ‘competitors’. In which case, picking up a gun is certainly understandable! There is definitely reasonable doubt! Police acted like (moderated)
THE TRUTH HERE IS THIS……EVERYONE THAT HAS LEFT NOTHING BUT NEGATIVE COMMENTS ABOUT “JAIME GONZALEZ” OBVIOUSLY DOESN’T KNOW HIM & HAVE NO FACTS ON WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED ON THIS HORRIFIC DAY!!!! THE QUESTION HERE, IS WHO ISSUED A ” NO KNOCK” SEARCH WARRANT….JAIME GONZALEZ HAS NEVER IN HIS 42YRS, BEEN IN TROUBLE WITH LAW &HASNOCRIMINAL
& HAS NO CRIMINAL RECORD!!! MANY LKWD OFFICERS KNOW EXACTLY WHO ” JAIME” IS FROM WHEN HE WAS WORKING IN URBAN SOURCE , AND THEY KNOW WHO THEY ARE….AND THEY KNOW JAIME IS IN NO WAY, SHAPE OR FORM A KILLER!!! JAIME IS A WONDERFUL & GOOD MAN WITH A BIG BIG BIG HEART!!!!! DON’T JUDGE FROM, HE SAID- SHE SAID OR FROM THE MEDIA …..ONLY 1 SIDE OF THE STORY WAS TOLD, ANYONE WITH COMMON SENSE KNOWS THERE’S ALWAYS 2 SIDES TO A STORY……..I THANK THE LORD THAT NO ONES LIFE WAS TAKEN ON THIS DAY & PRAY THAT JUSTICE WILL BE SERVED FAIRLY…..THERE IS A LESSON TO BE LEARNED IN THIS CASE!!!!!
Friendly Fire?? Isn’t the LPD SWAT team specially traned? Howe could this be? You mean Officser Wilson was shot by another Police Officer”? How long ago did this all happen?
He may of had a hard life and I feel bad for him but there still no excuse to use guns and drugs u can’t keep a dangerous guy on the street bec he had a hard life…
Aant,
So what happened here? What’s the “other side of the story”?? Did an angel just shoot the gun in Jaime’s hand? I mean, can you explain what you mean when you say he had no criminal record? He does now, what’s the difference what happened before?! The animal that killed Chris Matlosz was alos touted as a “oh such a sweet angel” by many people commenting on the story. Brings me to question what YOUR values to the law, life and society…… are.
Just trying to understand how u can say a guy involved in drugs guns and was waiting on top of steps with a stolen loaded gun is innocent
Ok first off his house was robbed 2 weeks prior and his children were in the house. Secondly how can you see black vests in a dark house?? Thirdly the police shot themselves. Fourthly they also shot him so he was on the ground most of the time, while the police shot each other. So all of you talking bad, check your facts before you start typing!!!! FYI none of you
Should judge a person by where they live and their heritage. He has no record of drugs so i dunno why certain people keep writing that???
“A perfect angel” does not draw so much negative attention that the police feel the need to execute a no-knock warrant. If he was on the up and up and the good family man he is painted to be, the police should of had no reason to come to his door in the first place. Whether or not he fired first or where the shooting injuries originated from the fact of the matter is that the police had sufficient evidence before a judge to approve this warrant and if he was such an honest, law abiding citizen the police would of never had a reason to come to his door in the first place.
According to the press there was a lot of drugs money and guns in this house and he did shoot one of the cops so he is far from an angel he is a criminal those are the facts!
you guys dont know him the way his family and friends did so if you dont know dont talk!!! nobody saying what he did was good but always to say to each story