UPDATE: 911 Calls Provide Insight Into Shooting Death

COLD SPRING – 911 calls released to the Press of Atlantic City by the Prosecutor’s Office Jan. 20 provide insight into the shooting death of James Weaver Jr., 21, of Cold Spring.
According to a release, Terri Ewing, the wife of homeowner Richard Ewing, 56, called Lower Township police at approximately 3:15 a.m. Jan. 18 from a residence in the 700 block of Route 109, saying that they had been awakened by the sound of someone attempting to gain entry into the residence.
“Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God. They’re breaking in the door,” Ewing told police dispatcher Jen Saunders on the 911 tape.
Ewing told Saunders that she was upstairs and that her husband was downstairs at the glass door where at least one intruder was trying to enter the home.
“They’re screaming at him,” said Ewing. “He has a gun. My husband has a gun and he’s told them that he has it but they’re trying to get in. Oh my God. I don’t know how many people there are but there’s at least one man down there and he’s trying to get in.”
According to police, that man was Weaver, of Seashore Road.
According to the Press of Atlantic City, Weaver had allegedly been in a bar fight in Cape May and then fought with his friends who had picked him up and were trying to drive him home. The driver and passenger of the vehicle told police that Weaver became enraged and broke two rear windows of the vehicle. The driver stopped the vehicle and asked Weaver to exit. Upon doing so, Weaver damaged the front windshield and walked away. The officers instructed the driver to proceed to the police department to sign complaints and the police searched the area, but were unable to locate Weaver.
The 911 tapes obtained by the Press of Atlantic City include Weaver’s friend’s call.
“What’s the emergency?” Saunders asked the caller, a female friend of Weaver’s, one of two friends who came to get him.
“I picked up my friend at the bar. He grabbed the wheel and tried to get us in an accident. He freaked out and punched the windows of my truck. He grabbed the wheel and I slammed on the brakes. He punched out my back window, my side window and crashed my entire windshield,” she said.
The female caller identified Weaver as the subject and said he took off on foot.
“Was he intoxicated?” Saunders asked.
“Extremely,” she replied.
Weaver turned up at the Ewing residence about an hour later.
While Ewing was on the phone with police, her husband, who has limited mobility, got into his wheelchair and armed himself with a handgun. Police say Weaver ultimately smashed the glass door in an attempt to force his way into the residence. Richard Ewing warned Weaver not to enter and that he was armed with a gun. Weaver continued to make entry into the residence at which time Ewing shot Weaver one time.
The tapes also include Saunders dispatching EMTs and a helicopter to get Weaver (who was alive at the time) to the hospital, and a Cape May ambulance for Richard Ewing.
“The homeowner is requesting rescue. He’s not feeling very well,” Saunders said.
Weaver was transported to AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center where he succumbed to his injuries. The homeowner was transported to Cape Regional Medical Center where he was treated and released.
An autopsy examination conducted Jan. 19, by the State Medical Examiner’s Office, determined that Weaver died as a result of a single gunshot wound to the head. The final report is pending toxicology results and the investigation is ongoing. At this time, Richard Ewing has not been charged with any crime.
Weaver’s family told the Press of Atlantic City they didn’t believe he was trying to invade or burglarize the home but merely seeking help after the bar fight and the incident in his friend’s truck.
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PREVIOUS COVERAGE:
Cape May County Prosecutor Robert L. Taylor and Lower Township Police Chief William Mastriana would like to provide updated information about the shooting death that was reported yesterday, Jan. 18.
As a result of an autopsy examination conducted earlier today, Jan. 19, by the State Medical Examiner’s Office, it has been determined that the decedent, James Weaver Jr., 21, of Cold Spring, died as a result of a single gunshot wound to the head. The final report is pending toxicology results.
Although the investigation is still ongoing, both the Prosecutor and Chief would like to release additional information about the investigation.
On Jan. 18 at approximately 2:25 a.m., the Lower Township Police were called to the area of 900 Route 109 in the Cold Spring section of Lower Township to take a report for property damage to a motor vehicle. The driver and passenger of the vehicle explained to the officers that their friend, James Weaver Jr., allegedly became enraged and broke two rear windows of the vehicle while being driven home. The driver stopped the vehicle and asked Weaver to exit. Upon doing so, Weaver damaged the front windshield and walked away. The officers instructed the driver to proceed to the police department to sign complaints and the police searched the area, but were unable to locate the accused.
At approximately 3:15 a.m., the Lower Township Police received a call from a resident in the 700 block of Route 109, saying that they were awakened by the sound of someone attempting to gain entry into the residence. While the wife was on the phone with police, the husband, who has limited mobility, got into his wheelchair and armed himself with a handgun. Weaver ultimately smashed the glass door in an attempt to force his way into the residence. The homeowner warned Weaver not to enter and that he was armed with a gun. Weaver continued to make entry into the residence at which time the homeowner shot Weaver one time.
According to a previous release, Weaver was transported to AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center where he succumbed to his injuries. The homeowner was transported to Cape Regional Medical Center where he was treated and released.
The investigation is ongoing and there is still no mention of criminal charges at this time.
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PREVIOUS COVERAGE:
COLD SPRING – Cape May County Prosecutor Robert L. Taylor and Lower Township Police Chief William Mastriana have announced a joint investigation involving a shooting that took place in Lower Township resulting in the death of a 21-year-old male.
At approximately 3:15 a.m. Jan. 18, the Lower Township Police responded to the 700 block of Route 109 in the Cold Spring section of Lower Township for a report of a person attempting to gain entry into an occupied residence. As officers were enroute to the location it was learned that the homeowner shot the intruder after he broke through the glass door.
The intruder, James P. Weaver Jr., 21, of the Cold Spring section of Lower Township was transported to AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center where he succumbed to his injuries. The homeowner was transported to Cape Regional Medical Center where he was treated and released.
The investigation is ongoing and there are no criminal charges at this time.