Arrest in Pleasantville woman's shooting, friend charged with aggravated manslaughter

PLEASANTVILLE – An Atlantic City man is charged with first-degree aggravated manslaughter in the shooting death of a woman early Monday morning, and authorities say the two had a dating relationship.

The Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office arrested 36-year-old Lamar Pitts on Monday.

Jazmen Martin–Richardson, 30, of Pleasantville was declared dead at the scene with a gunshot wound to her neck. Police and medical personnel found her in a kitchen of her residence on the 1100 block of Iowa Avenue while responding to a 911 call made about 12:10 a.m. Monday.

Acting Prosecutor Cary Shill on Tuesday said Pitts is held at the Atlantic County Justice Facility. He was arrested at the prosecutor's office.

“I want to credit the Pleasantville Police Department (and) the ACPO Major Crimes Unit for the swift identification and apprehension of the suspect in this matter,” Shill said. “While we cannot always prevent acts of senseless violence, we take all necessary actions to identify, arrest, and prosecute individuals who commit heinous crimes to the fullest extent of the law.”

According to the criminal complaint and affidavit of probable cause and the prosecutor, a 9 mm bullet casing was found on the kitchen floor and a 9 mm pistol believed to have been used in the shooting was found in a nearby wooded area.

Pitts admitted to shooting the woman, under questioning after being administered a Miranda warning, according to the affidavit from county Detective Christopher Southard.

The affidavit states that Pitts called 911 to report that a woman had been shot in the chest, but that he did not respond to a dispatcher who asked him how he knew she had been shot.

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“Early in the call, Pitts abruptly terminated the conversation but did not hang up with dispatch,” Southard states. “During this break in communication, a camera recorded a person, consistent with Pitts, running from the back yard toward a wood area off camera before returning to the back yard.”

Pitts was charged with aggravated manslaughter, being a certain person not allowed to possess a firearm; unlawful possession of a handgun without a permit; and receiving stolen property, because the pistol had been stolen.

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The charges are allegations; Pitts has not been convicted of any crime connected to this incident.

Joe Smith is a N.E. Philly native transplanted to South Jersey more than 30 years ago, keeping an eye now on government in South Jersey. He is a former editor and current senior staff writer for The Daily Journal in Vineland, Courier-Post in Cherry Hill, and the Burlington County Times.

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