Shooting at Freehold, N.J., library under investigation

A shooting at a library in Freehold, New Jersey, is under investigation.

It happened around 4 p.m. Thursday at the Freehold Public Library on East Main Street between South and Center streets.

1 man shot

The Monmouth County prosecutor's office confirmed one man was shot. The severity of his injuries is unknown at this time.

Chopper 2 was over the scene. What appeared to be blood could be seen on the stairs outside the library's entrance, and investigators placed a tarp on the front door of the library as they worked inside.

The prosecutor's office and Freehold Borough Police are investigating. Investigators believe the shooting was an isolated incident, and say there is no danger to the community at this time.

Further details have not yet been released.

Residents are being asked to avoid the area around the library as the investigation continues.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the prosecutor's office at 800-533-7443 or Freehold Police at 732-462-1233.

"There was a lot of blood"

Elizabeth Porshay works at a shop next door to the library and said she looked outside after hearing gunshots.

"A lot of police, cops coming in," she said. "And then they started to close off the street. They had their guns out, and we all kind of got worried about that."

Her Ring camera captured the moment an ambulance arrived for the victim.

"They took out a person on a stretcher from inside the library," Porshay said. "They weren't moving, but there was a lot of blood around them."

"There was a lot of blood, definitely. It was a lot of blood," witness Fernando Bedoya said. "I saw the commotion, the cops, the ambulances. They were taking somebody from inside the library."

"It was insane because, first of all, it's never happened around here that I witnessed like that," Porshay said, "and plus, it's the library. It's right next door. There's a lot of kids there."