A daylight shootout that began inside the Atlantic County Criminal Courthouse and spilled onto the Atlantic City Expressway on August 29, 2016, left 22-year-old Rosemond Octavius of Egg Harbor Township dead. Octavius, a Black male, was a passenger in a Nissan Maxima driven by Anthony Hicks when multiple vehicles—reportedly including a white Ford Expedition and a black Dodge Ram pickup—exchanged gunfire as they sped along the highway. Witnesses heard numerous shots; the Ford Expedition was later found with at least 21 bullet holes and occupants suffering gunshot wounds. Hicks drove the wounded Octavius until he could flag down authorities on the Garden State Parkway.

Several people were arrested after the incident. Hicks faced weapons charges, and others taken into custody included Wilbert Demosthenes, Devan Leggette, and Yahshaun Stukes-Williams, who faced attempted murder and weapons offenses. Authorities said no one was specifically charged with Octavius’s murder, concluding the group Octavius was with were the aggressors in the exchange. Three men named in reports—Demosthenes, Hicks, and Leggette—were later sentenced to lengthy prison terms for their roles in the shootout.

Did anyone witness events at the courthouse restroom or on the expressway who can add detail about how the confrontation escalated?