Police hunt Neptune man suspected in slaying

ASBURY PARK — As hundreds of mourners gathered in Lakewood Monday for the funeral of 16-year-old Shakuur Prince, the city boy gunned down last month, authorities continued their search for the man they said pulled the trigger.

According to a criminal complaint signed by city police Friday, the gunman is David A. Sawyers, 21, of Neptune. Known on the street as "Sacrifice," Sawyers has been charged with murder but remains at large.

First Assistant Monmouth County Prosecutor Peter E. Warshaw Jr. said members of his office, along with Asbury Park and Neptune police, have begun an extensive search for the accused that also involves the U.S. Marshal's Office.

The complaint charges Sawyers — whose name was released for the first time on Monday — with murder, possession of a handgun for an unlawful purpose, and possession of a handgun without a permit.
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The circumstances surrounding the shooting remain under investigation, but authorities believe Prince was shot as a fistfight escalated into deadly gun play.

According to Warshaw, Prince came to a spot near the Neptune boundary about 1 p.m. Jan. 27 for a pre-arranged fight against another, unnamed teenager. Sawyers arrived with his own supporters, authorities believe.

As a crowd in the area swelled to as many as 10 people, two guns were flashed, one by Sawyer, the other by a 16-year-old who came to support Prince during the initial fight, authorities believe.

It remains unclear who fired first, or how many shots were fired, Warshaw said.

But a shot fired by the unnamed 16-year-old, who has been arrested and charged with aggravated assault, did not hit anyone, Warshaw said, but Sawyers shot Prince as the crowd dispersed.

Where Prince went after being shot was strikingly apparent before the snow that ultimately delayed his funeral covered the ground this weekend.

A trail of blood marked his last steps through a yard, down the sidewalk and across Washington Avenue before he ultimately collapsed along a white retaining wall.