Asbury gun battle suspect indicted for attempted murder

The Asbury Park man accused of shooting it out with a city police officer last November moves a step closer to trial for attempted murder.

Dante Allen, 20, also faces weapons and drug charged in the six-count indictment returned by a Monmouth County grand jury in Freehold today, according to information from acting County Prosecutor Chris Gramiccioni.

An eight-year-old who was watching television in her home nearby was grazed by a bullet during the exchange and was given hospital treatment for what authorities describe as a superficial forehead wound.

Gramiccioni released a statement supporting the theory that the projectile came from the officer's gun, responding to ballistics test results deemed inconclusive.

"The ballistics examination by the New Jersey State Police Forensic Investigations Bureau Ballistics Unit was inconclusive in determining which projectile struck the victim, but the opinion of the forensics lab and the investigatory opinion of this Office have determined the projectile came from the weapon of the police officer," Gramiccioni said.

Allen remains in the Monmouth County Correctional Institution in Freehold, in default of bail totalling $1,337,500.

According to police reports, after encountering the officer at about 7:15 PM November 4, Allen clutched an object under his sweatshirt, pulled the hood over his face as he walked away, then began running west on Springwood Avenue.

Allen allegedly ran into a field, turned and fired, prompting return fire that hit him in the leg. Police said Allen had a 9 millimeter Smith & Wesson handgun. He was treated and released into custody.

Allen's weapon, and the officer's .40-caliber Glock Model 23 semiautomatic pistol, each underwent lab analysis.

If convicted of the most serious charge of attempted murder, Allen would be at risk of up to 20 years in prison and required to serve 85 percent of the term under New Jersey's No Early Release Act, along with five years of parole supervision after release.